


A Match Made in Hell

by SpyroForLife



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Demons, Eventual Smut, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Marriage of Convenience, Royalty, Transformation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2017-01-10
Packaged: 2018-08-22 10:57:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 28
Words: 81,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8283418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpyroForLife/pseuds/SpyroForLife
Summary: Tom is nearly eighteen and when the big day arrives, he will take over as the king of the Underworld. Though there's one small snag: his parents are insisting that he also marry on that day so that he'll have someone to rule with him. In order to get them off his back, he decides to ask one of the few people he likes enough to spend his days with to marry him: Marco Diaz. But Tom knows the other demons won't accept a human ruler, so he must ask his friend to make a huge change for him. Marco agrees. And only time will tell if it was the right decision.





	1. It's Been a While

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written long before the reveal of Tom's parents in season 3 so this fanfic is officially canon divergent due to having my own interpretation of what his parents could have been like. Other details may also end up diverting from the show due to when this was written.

It was a warm night and seventeen-year-old Marco Diaz was enjoying his walk. He was relaxing after another week of school and already planning out his weekend, considering getting with Star Butterfly… If she wasn’t too busy, that is. It’s been lonely since she went back to Mewni, but he understood that she had to prepare to become the queen, and he still had to stay here and finish high school. But at least it wouldn’t be much longer until he was eighteen and then a little after that he would graduate. And then maybe he’ll have more free time to visit his friend.

His thoughts cast around to his other friends, and lingered on another member of royalty: Tom. A confident demon who had once struggled with anger issues, but now had a handle on them and was composed and likable nearly every time they spoke. Marco was fond of him, they both enjoyed cheesy pop songs, had similar tastes in food, and got into boyish shenanigans together, and when Tom had gotten his first tattoo, it had been Marco who stood at his side and watched. Marco had also offered to hold his hand, to which Tom had cheerfully offered to break his fingers. They were great friends.

Tom had even returned the favor, encouraging Marco when he entertained the idea of getting an ear pierced, and then going with him when he finally decided to do it. It had been the right one and Tom had really hyped it up, telling him how much it would hurt, how he would laugh if he screamed, that it would bleed a lot, and so on… and then Marco actually got the piercing, and it had been as simple as laying down and getting a needle swiftly poked through the lobe and that was that. It had barely even hurt and the blood, if there was any, was mopped up in seconds and his chosen earring snapped on. Marco still wore that small ruby stud. It matched his favorite hoodie.

Marco had declined getting any more, and had punched Tom in the arm for trying to make him nervous about it. Tom had just laughed innocently and complimented his new fashion.

It’s been a while since they could hang out though. Tom was going to be crowned king of the Underworld very soon and his parents kept him very busy with classes and training and preparations. Marco sometimes got a quick call from him, and he would talk about what was going on, but then he would have to go again.

Marco was happy that his friends were moving on with their lives and getting ready to take on such huge responsibilities, and he hoped they still had time for hanging out and having fun once they were in charge of their respective kingdoms. He didn’t want to lose great friends like them.

After a few moments, Marco realized that the ground was rumbling slightly. Not exactly unusual, this area got mild earthquakes all the time. But this was different. It was a higher intensity, and he could actually hear rocks shifting. Flames erupted from the street without warning, and the skeleton of a horse clambered out, with a mane and tail made of flame. It pulled an elegant black carriage, and the flames died down. There was no damage whatsoever to the road.

Marco was already heading for the carriage when the door opened, a familiar face smiling at him.

“Hey, Marco. Long time, no see,” Tom greeted him.

“Hey! Wow, I was just thinking that we haven’t hung out in a while.”

“Yeah, things have been real busy. But I managed to score some free time so I decided to come back up here and see what you were up to.”

“Ah, well…” Marco gestured. “I was just walking around before bed, it’s Friday so… Yeah.”

“Cool. Wanna stargaze?”

“Absolutely.” Marco climbed into the carriage, which through some magical means was a lot bigger on the inside. Tom gave an order to the skeleton horse, and it began to walk.

Marco gladly sprawled onto the couch, and Tom stood there for a moment before chuckling and sitting on the end. “Comfortable?”

“Very.” Marco lifted his head, looking Tom over. His horns had grown wider since he last saw him in person. The marks around his eyes were longer. And he simply looked more mature, his chin sharper and body stockier. And he was definitely taller.

But his eyes were as gentle as always, and he fixed them on Marco. “Is school going well?”

“Well enough. It’s almost over and basically all my classes this semester are electives, since I’ve already passed all the ones I actually needed to graduate. I shouldn’t even have any final tests.” Marco stretched, yawning. “Can’t wait to be done.”

“Got any plans for after?”

“I’m still thinking about it but I’ve thought about attending college for psychology. I kinda want to go into the mental health field.”

“That would be really interesting.” Tom scooted closer, and Marco sat up so he could sit more comfortably. “The medical field is such a diverse but fascinating one. You’ve gotta tell me all about your classes.”

“I’m sure I will,” Marco laughed. “I like talking about that stuff.”

They did some catching up during the trip, trading stories, and Tom complained about all the stuff he had to learn, trying to blow off steam. His brain felt absolutely fried trying to remember all the customs and rules for the coronation, keeping track of the many royal demonic families that would be involved, the different species of demon he would be interacting with, and so on. His kind could be surprisingly formal and he was terrible at such things. So it was nice to rant about it to Marco, who gladly agreed with him and suggested that he show up in shorts and a t-shirt to his coronation. That made Tom laugh.

When they reached the outskirts of the city, they got out of the carriage and climbed up a hill, laying back to watch as the Sun finished setting and the stars came out. They weren’t sure how long they laid there, just talking and pointing out constellations.

“It’s so humbling to look at the stars and realize I’m not as important as my parents say I am,” Tom said. “There are billions of worlds out there that get along just fine without me. I’m nearly insignificant. It’s comforting in a way.”

“Maybe, but you do matter to those who care about you. And I want you to do well in life. You’re going to be a great king.”

Tom chuckled. “I sure hope so. I hope that once I’m actually sworn in, I’ll have more time for myself. I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you too.” Marco smiled at him, feeling strangely hopeful. But Tom just sat up, looking around at the stars one last time before standing. “I should probably be getting back, before my parents come after me…”

“Oh, okay.” Marco got up too, brushing grass off himself.

“I’ll give you a ride back.”

However, they were only partway back to the carriage before a portal ripped open next to them and two tall demons stepped through, with sharp and somber faces and elegant wings.

“Thomas,” one greeted him, but their voice was stern.

Tom visibly tensed, groaning. “Mom, it’s just Tom. And I’m coming, geeze.”

“Don’t disrespect your mother,” his father said. “You still have things you need to take care of before bed, especially since you just ran off in the middle of it. Which reflected rather poorly on your behavior, by the way.”

“I really don’t want to take care of that… one particular thing we were doing before I left,” Tom commented.

“You need to. You need someone to rule alongside you. Now return at once and pick a suitor.”

Tom kicked a rock, growling. “I don’t like any of them.”

“That’s your problem, not ours. Come along.” They stepped back through the fiery portal and it sealed behind them.

Tom stood there for a few moments, then let out a frustrated huff and kicked another rock, sending it flying. He was shaking as he led Marco back to the carriage. “Okay, I’m gonna take you straight home and then I have to go.”

Marco could tell that Tom was growing angry, and he reached out to rub his back. He pressed in right at the arch, and Tom relaxed, shoulders slumping and a sigh leaving him.

“You wanna talk about anything?” Marco asked, stepping into the carriage with him.

Tom gave an order to the horse, and then sighed, glancing at Marco. “I don’t think there’s much more to say than I already have.”

“You didn’t mention anything about suitors.”

“Well, no… That’s because it’s kinda an embarrassing topic. Basically my parents picked out all these demonesses for me to marry, so I can have a queen alongside me. Well… I don’t care about any of them. I don’t know them, I have no bond with any of them. And odds are they’ll only want me for my power. I don’t want a partner like that. If I’m going to rule the Underworld with someone, I want it to be with someone I love. Not someone I learned to like, like my parents did.”

Marco rubbed his back, and Tom leaned against him with a sigh. “I understand. Star’s dealing with something similar. It’s really hard for her to convince her parents to let her marry a human. River is all for it but Moon is hesitant. It was hard enough for River to get popular, being from a family that wasn’t at all royal. Star’s fiancée isn’t even Mewman so that’s gonna be really difficult.”

“Star wants to marry a human?”

“Oh man, you didn’t know? Yeah she and Janna really hit it off right before she went home, it got pretty serious.”

Tom laughed. “Wow. Well, I wish her luck.”

“Yeah, and good luck to you too. Is there anyone you like enough to want to marry?”

“At the moment?” Tom thought it over, gazing at Marco. Then he said, “No, not really. But I’m sure I’ll find someone. I can’t force it.”

“Yeah, understandable. Good luck, man.”

“Thanks.” Tom stood with him for a few moments, then pulled away. He seemed reluctant about it.

They were soon at Marco’s house, and Tom waved goodbye to him as he got out.

“Call me!” Marco shouted as he walked toward the door.

“I’ll try!” Tom yelled back. Then he was leaning forward and calling to his steed, and the carriage was consumed with flame, sinking into the ground.

Marco watched him go, then turned and went inside. He really hoped things would work out for his old friend.


	2. An Idea

It was a week before Marco heard from Tom again. He attended class, looked into various colleges, hung out with the science club and went to the park to clean a stream. He sighed wistfully as he hauled a cinder block out of the water. Star would love this. She’d probably spend the whole time trying to catch fish and then getting frustrated with how few there were. She’d wave her wand and instantly lift all the trash out. But she was far away on another world doing very important princess things. She had no time for wading through a dirty stream.

Finally it was the weekend again, and Marco got a call from Tom on the interdimensional mirror Star had given him for a present before leaving.

“Great timing,” Marco said as he answered it, mopping at his hair with a towel. “I just got out of the shower.”

“I see that.” Tom took in his appearance, and Marco saw him nod before continuing, “How are things?”

“Same as always.” Marco had already pulled on pajama pants but was still shirtless, and was considering staying that way; the house was warm enough. “You?”

Tom groaned. “Ugh, it’s so busy. My parents aren’t giving me a moment of free time. I’m only able to call you now because they think I went to bed. They won’t be bothering me until dawn tomorrow, when they’ll be hurrying me along to meet with an ambassador from some other dimension… I hate these political meetings, but hey, maybe I’ll run into Star soon. The Underworld has always been on good terms with Mewni.”

“That’s good. Man, I’m sorry they’re grilling you so much.” Marco set the towel down. “How much longer until the coronation?”

“A month,” Tom replied. “It’s gonna be the day I turn eighteen. The whole day is gonna be full of events. Like, first of all will be my fledging… That’s when my wings are going to finally emerge to mark my entrance into adulthood. And then-”

“Wait,” Marco interrupted, “You have wings?”

“Not yet. They just burst out of my skin when I turn eighteen. Apparently it’s agonizing and everyone will get to see it happen to me, being the prince and all. And then will be my wedding, where I marry my soon-to-be queen. Assuming I’ve chosen one, which I still haven’t. It’s driving my parents insane by the way.” Tom seemed pleased to be causing them trouble. “And once I’m married is a lunch, and then we’ll do the actual coronation and I will become the king. Mom and Dad will step down and submit to my authority, and allow me to decide their fate. Which, I’m just gonna let them stay as my advisers, I mean damn, I’m not going to hurt my parents even if they do annoy me. Did you know they killed the previous king and queen? Yeah!” he responded to Marco’s horrified expression. “They were my paternal grandparents. Mom and Dad killed them. Didn’t want them getting in the way. I am not doing that.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Marco said.

“Yeah. So I’m gonna spare them. But yeah, I become king, the power is handed over to me, we have a huge feast. Lots of partying and people getting drunk. And then we eventually go to bed and I’ll get up the next morning and… I guess start doing king stuff.”

“Sounds like a fun day,” Marco said. “Am I invited?”

Tom laughed. “Of course you are. You and Star are welcome to attend. In fact, I’d love to see you guys there. Maybe it won’t be so unbearable then.”

“What will happen if you don’t have a queen by then?”

Tom shrugged. “I’ve asked that but the only answer I’ve gotten is, ‘You will have one.’ Which isn’t very helpful. So I did some research and found that the Underworld has had solitary rulers before, who usually ended up taking on a companion anyway just to help lessen the weight of responsibility. Sometimes they loved them, sometimes not. But the wedding portion isn’t at all required. So if I’m still single, so be it, they can deal.”

Marco nodded in understanding. “Do you think they’ll try to arrange a marriage for you?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised but they can’t make me say the vows. So far though, they’re waiting for me to choose someone.”

“Don’t you have any interest? In anyone?”

Tom looked pained for a moment. “Not really. But… but I do have an idea. Maybe I could…” He trailed off, then shook his head. “Never mind, it’s ridiculous.”

“What?” Marco asked.

“Don’t worry about it, I just had a dumb idea. But it wouldn’t work.”

“Come on, man.” Marco moved closer to the mirror. “You can tell me, I won’t laugh.”

“Well… Okay.” Tom looked around, then leaned in close. “I was thinking of just grabbing some random friend and having them marry me, so at least it’ll be someone I can tolerate. But I don’t know…”

“Sounds like a good idea to me.”

“But marriage should be about love. I don’t know if I should…”

“Well you do love your friends, right? It’s just a different kind of love. I say go for it, it’ll get your parents off your back.”

“Maybe.” Tom hesitated, looking away. Then he said, “But I’m not sure if the person I have in mind will want to do it.”

“Being married to the prince? With all the luxuries that’ll come with it? I’m sure they’ll be perfectly happy to do it.”

“I guess you’re right.” Tom seemed to perk up. “Well, then… how about it, Marco? Wanna get married?”

Marco couldn’t speak for several moments. Then he managed to squeak, “Me? You’re asking _me_? Why me, there are lots of other people you know, I…”

“I really like you and I’m better friends with you than anyone else!” Tom explained. “If I have to be with someone, I’d want it to be you. But if you don’t want to, I can find someone else.”

Marco was breathing hard without realizing. He took a moment to calm down, then said, “That’s really sweet, but… I gotta finish high school, and I plan on going to college, I can’t just… I can’t just disappear down to the Underworld!”

“I can ensure you get that high school diploma,” Tom promised. “You already have the credits for it, you’re just taking electives to finish out the semester, right? So let me talk to the school. That is, if you want to do this marriage plan. If not, then… I’ll find someone else.”

Marco swallowed, unsure what to say. He really liked Tom, and wouldn’t mind living with him, but ruling the Underworld would be a huge job. He had to admit, there was some appeal. But he had plenty of concerns.

“I’m human,” he said. “Would they even accept me?”

Tom blinked, then swore. “No, they probably wouldn’t. Humans can get by down here. Many demons were once human. But… a human wouldn’t be allowed to rule. I hate to admit it but demon society is racist. They’d probably hurt or even kill you.”

Marco nodded. “I figured. So… that’s it, then. It can’t be me.”

Tom frowned, then looked away in thought. His brows furrowed, and he said slowly, “There… is one way.”

“I’m not sure I like that tone.”

“If you were a demon, there’d be no problem.” Tom looked back at him. “And there’s someone I know who can turn a member of any species into pretty much any other species with a wave of her wand.”

“Oh no.” Marco’s legs felt weak. “Are you suggesting…”

“We should go talk to Star.”

Marco rubbed the back of his neck. He couldn’t believe they were talking about this. But he didn’t want to disappoint Tom and he has wanted to see Star again… “I suppose we could see what she thinks of the plan, but I’m not promising anything yet.”

  


“You want to _what_?” Star demanded.

Tom took a breath, then said, “My parents are insisting I have a partner by the time I become king. So… I figured I’d just marry someone to get them off my back. And… Marco may possibly be the one I marry, but the other demons won’t accept a human being a ruler. So basically, will you turn Marco into a demon?”

Star stared back and forth between them, then sighed and rubbed her eyes. “You woke me up in the middle of the night to ask me to make Marco a demon so you can marry him?”

They nodded.

She looked at them for a few moments, then tiredly walked over to get her wand. “Okay, fair enough. Kinda rude to just teleport into a girl’s room in a burst of flame, but… Heh, like the good ol’ days, eh Tom?”

Tom laughed. “Haha, yeah. So you’ll do it?”

“Yep, easy as cake.” Star returned to them, now holding up the wand. “Marco just has to agree to it. Wanna be a demon, pal?”

Marco took a reassuring breath, looking at Tom. “You promise that you’ll be able to get my high school diploma? Because I’ve been working my butt off for thirteen years to get it and I am _getting it_ , damn it.”

Tom nodded. “Of course, you’ll get it.”

“I’m gonna have it framed and hung on the wall.”

“I’ll get you a solid gold frame if you want.”

“Nice.” Marco thought it over, then exhaled slowly. “I haven’t even talked to my parents about this yet. I... need more time to think this over.”

“Oh, I completely understand if you want to sleep on it and talk to your parents! Please, let me know what you decide, and Star, you'll be able to change him?”

She nodded. “Shouldn't be hard.”

“Okay, great. So... great.” Tom awkwardly clutched at his shirt, then nodded decisively. “We should get going then.”

Star flopped onto her bed, tossing the wand onto the table. “Well if we’re done here I’d like to go back to sleep.”

“Oh sure, sorry for waking you,” Tom said quickly. “Thank you so much for your help.”

“Mhm. Let me know once you've figured things out.” She waved to them, and they took that as their dismissal. Tom took Marco’s hand and teleported him back to his home.

Marco said goodbye to his friend, and then sat down on his bed, resting his head in his hands as he thought over Tom's proposal. He really wanted to help him, but it was going to be such a huge change... in more ways than one. But all that time around Star has really made him think about being royalty, and now he could finally do it. He just wasn't sure if it would be right to marry someone for that reason.

Still, he reasoned, maybe it could just be like... a professional marriage. Like a business contract. And if, in the future, Tom actually does fall in love with someone, they could always separate and go their own ways again.

The more Marco thought about it, the more he felt that it would be beneficial. But he wasn't going to make a decision without talking to his parents. He knew they would be in bed right now, but still awake, reading and chatting with each other. So he went to their room.

They were happy to see him as always, and Marco said, “Can I talk to you guys about something? It's pretty big.”

“Of course, mijo,” Rafael said immediately, and Angie scooted over, patting the bed. Marco went to sit next to her. “What's on your mind?”

“Well...” Marco got his thoughts together, then said in a rush, “Tom is about to become king and he needs to marry someone, but he doesn’t like any of his suitors, so… He wants to marry me to get his parents to leave him alone but since demons don't like humans holding positions of power I'm pretty much going to have to become a demon too.”

His parents were silent for a moment as they took that in. Then Angie asked, “Well, are you going to marry him?”

Marco spread his arms. “I don't know, I'm trying to figure out if I should, is it right to marry for that kind of reason, and should I really move to the Underworld? And become a _demon_? I mean he did say he was going to pull strings and make sure the high school gives me my diploma, so I'll have that, I just won't walk across the stage or anything. But... do you think I should do it? I want to help him out, but...”

“I think it's sweet that you want to do that for your friend,” Angie said. “Tom seems like a really nice boy, but he's got a temper, and he needs someone like you around to keep him grounded. If you really want to do it, that's your choice. We'll love you no matter what you decide. You’re your own man and can make your own life choices. And if what you think is best is moving to the Underworld and becoming a demon, we’ll support you.”

Marco smiled and leaned down to hug them. “Thank you. I think I'm going to do it, I just... I need to sleep on it. I'll... let you know what I decide tomorrow.”

They said goodnight, and he headed for the door. His dad saying his name made him pause, and he looked back.

“We'll be invited to the wedding, right?” he asked, beaming.

Marco laughed. “Of course you will be. I'll make sure you get personally escorted there and can see all the festivities. It'll be a big day, after all.”

They seemed excited by it, and he was in a lighter mood as he went back to his room. Maybe he'll go through with it.


	3. Wave of the Wand

By the time Marco got up the next morning, he had made up his mind. He would marry his friend. He sympathized with his troubles and if he could make at least one thing easier for him, he was going to. But he was going to give it some time before calling Tom, since he was likely having a very busy day as usual.

So Marco went about his Sunday as usual. He ate cereal for breakfast, watched TV, rode his bike around the neighborhood, exercised and practiced some karate. It was night again before he was able to get into contact with Tom.

The demon seemed worn out, rubbing at his eyes and groaning. But he brightened when he saw Marco.

“The meeting went well, and then I got to join my parents as they held audiences to talk to people about their grievances. Fun. But hey, I gotta get used to it. What's going on with you?”

“Not much, it was a pretty normal day.” Marco took a breath, then said, “So I thought over your idea, and... Okay. I’ll do it. I’ll marry you.”

Tom blinked, then grinned. “Oh wow, really? Oh man, you have no idea how much that means to me! Thank you so much! Do you need any more time or are you ready to go whenever? The sooner I introduce you to my parents, the better, really.”

“I... I guess I'm ready to go now, I'll just have to come back to say goodbye to everyone at school, but... yeah. Facebook still works in the Underworld, right?”

“Of course.”

“I'll probably say bye that way too.”

“Whatever you need to do. Want to see if Star is available?”

“Sure.”

Tom used his magic to teleport over, and once he was with Marco in the same room, they contacted Star to make sure she would be able to make time for them. Luckily, she had today off, so she was awake and more than happy to help them out. They traveled to Mewni with no further hesitation, and gathered in Star's bedroom.

“I've been going over the necessary spell and I totally got it,” she promised them, twirling her wand around. “You ready for this, Marco?”

“Yeah,” Marco replied earnestly. “I'm kinda looking forward to it, actually. Being a ruler of the Underworld seems pretty exciting compared to my other plans for the future.”

Tom smiled and took his hand. “Thank you. I promise, it won’t be so bad. We’ll get awesome food whenever we want it, people to handle most of our duties, we’ll make it fun. And you seem like a natural leader.”

“Thanks. Well, Star… whenever you’re ready.” Marco spread his arms.

“This might hurt a smidge,” she said, red energy flowing into her wand and surrounding it with eerie flames.

“Er…” Marco nervously watched it, then decided to close his eyes. “Hit me with your best shot.”

“Fire away,” Tom sang.

Marco was about to respond to that, but then he heard Star declare, “Daemonium Mutatis!”

It felt like he was being consumed in flame. He screamed, body convulsing, and a wave of spikes passed over his skin. He wasn’t sure if he was standing or if he had fallen, all he knew was that it hurt, the sides of his head were pounding, his heart had stopped.

Then it was over as quickly as it had started and he finally realized he was laying on the floor, skin so tender that he quickly curled up, shaking.

“Marco?” Tom knelt next to him, and when hands touched his face, Marco flinched. They just felt too rough. “Star, what happened?”

“I… I don’t know, it looks like it worked, maybe he’s just in shock?”

“Get me your softest blanket.”

A few moments passed, and then something comfortable wrapped around Marco and he was lifted. He groaned, finally flicking his eyes open. Tom’s face swam into focus, staring at him with concern. Marco managed a smile. “H-hey.”

Tom smiled back at him. “Hey. How do you feel?”

“Sore,” Marco replied. His mouth was dry, and as he moved his tongue, he noticed that his teeth were sharper. His skin felt itchy, but the feeling was subsiding. “Did it work?”

“It worked, you just need to recover. It’s not an easy transformation to make. And Star did it quickly. I hear that the other methods are slow and very painful.”

“Mm. I’m glad we have Star then.” Marco worked an arm free of the blanket, looking at his hand. His skin was still the same color, but now his fingernails were black and sharp, like claws. He touched his face. It felt a lot warmer, but at the same time, it didn’t seem unusual. Like it was supposed to be that warm. He ran his fingers over his chin, which had shifted in shape to be sharper, rather than square like it was before. He felt his eyes. Still only two and they seemed to be the same. Maybe angled a little more? It was hard to tell.

He brushed his hand through his hair, and froze when he touched something hard. “Can I get a mirror?”

Star gestured to where hers was, and Marco struggled out of the blanket and raced over to it. He was a little unsteady but the pain was mostly gone now. He hardly remembered it, actually.

He jerked back at the sight of himself. He was taller, and tannish blue horns curled out of the side of his head, divided into rings like those of a ram, but thankfully not in the same shape. Rather than going out to the sides and down, they looped sharply upward. His eyes were definitely angled and were now an intense shade of violet, his pupils shaped like slits. His ears had grown longer and pointed. His earring still gleamed from the right one. He turned about, looking himself over, but he seemed the same everywhere else. He felt different though. He felt strong, unshakable. Like he could handle anything.

“It’s quite a look but it suits you,” Tom said, walking up next to him. He was still taller than him, but Marco was only a few inches shorter now.

Marco prodded his skin again, wondering why it had hurt to be touched earlier. Then he figured it was just sensitive from the transformation and now was okay.

Once he was used to his appearance, Marco looked back at Star. “You did it.”

“Yeah I did! Look at you.” She checked him out, walking over to curiously touch his new horns, and then flattening his ears. “You look so hardcore!”

“Thanks for letting him keep his mole,” Tom said. “He just wouldn’t be the same without it.”

Marco self-consciously rubbed the mark. “I wouldn’t have minded it being removed.”

“Hey, there’s a reason it’s called a beauty mark,” Tom said gently.

Marco found himself blushing, looking away. “Oh, well… I guess it’s okay.”

“You look good,” Star assured him. “You're gonna be a real handsome groom. You both are.”

“Of course.” Tom proudly wrapped his arm around Marco's waist. “People will be talking about how gorgeous we look together for months.”

Star covered her mouth to keep from laughing. “Uh-huh, sure. Well guys, need anything else?”

“I think we're good. Thanks for the help, and let's get together again some time.”

“Sounds good!”

Tom took Marco's hand to teleport him back home.

“You wanna let your parents see the new you?” he asked.

Marco pulled his hand away. “I guess. And then I need to pack my stuff.”

“I’ll help you with that. First, let’s go show your parents.”

Marco led the way. His parents were downstairs watching some romantic comedy, but they paused it once he showed up, being followed by a demon and clearly no longer human himself.

“Well, here I am,” he announced. “We did it. I'm gonna be moving in with Tom.”

They let out awed gasps, and got up, coming to look him over. He let them take in his appearance, explaining about Star's magic.

“I have to say, it's quite a change,” Angie said.

“You still look like yourself, but... different, too,” Rafael added. “You were starting to take after me, but... now your chin is different.”

“Yeah, it got sharper,” Marco replied.

Angie touched his ear, running curiously up to the tip. “Pointed ears, horns... you really are a demon now, aren't you?”

“Yep. But hey, I'm still me. I don't really feel any different at all.”

“He'll be in good hands,” Tom assured them. “I'm going to get him settled in, and in around a month's time will be the wedding. It's actually going to be a full day of events and you're of course invited, I'll send an invitation and ensure you get a private chariot to bring you to the palace. It's going to start with my fledging in the morning, and then the wedding will be a little later on, then lunch, then the grand coronation ceremony, dinner... the invitation will tell you more but it's gonna be huge. I would love for you to attend.”

“Of course,” Rafael said, clapping him on the back. “We wouldn't miss our son's wedding!”

“Even if you're doing it for more professional reasons, it's still a big day,” Angie agreed. “We want to be there for both of you. I can't wait to have you as my son-in-law.”

Tom seemed genuinely moved. “Wow, thanks guys. I... I really appreciate that.”

Marco hugged his parents tightly, and they returned it, each giving him quick kisses. “Come back and visit soon,” Angie told him.

“I'll call and visit all the time. And I’ll be back for all my stuff soon anyway. So… yeah.” He backed up, and he felt Tom’s hand set on his lower back, comforting him. “See you.”

“Bye, Marco. We love you.”

He smiled and hugged them one last time. “I love you too.” Then he pulled away and headed for the staircase, and once he was up to the second floor, he allowed himself to wipe his eyes off, sniffing.

“It’s emotional to leave the nest, huh?” Tom asked.

“Yeah. But it’s okay. I’m fine. I want to do this.” Marco straightened up. “Okay. Let’s go.”

“Are you ready? You should at least pack some clothes for now, and… Whatever.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Let me do that.” Marco went to his room, stuffing a suitcase full of clothes and his toiletries, as well as a couple books. He even decided to put his laptop in its case and shove it in there, just in case he did somehow get free time.

Once he was done packing, he let Tom know, and then took his hand so he could teleport him to the Underworld. He was committed now. No turning back.


	4. Getting Settled In

Marco set his stuff down once they arrived in Tom’s room. He looked around. It was surprisingly messy, clothes strewn around instead of being put away, food wrappers and drink cans sitting around on any available surface, papers and books all disorganized.

“Did a hurricane come through here?” Marco asked.

“No, just… I’ve been too stressed out to clean and the cleaning servants never come in here because they’re used to me taking care of my own rooms. But… Maybe I should ask them to help me.”

Marco looked back at him, and now that they were alone, Tom’s distress showed. He was shaking, worry pulling at his lips, and Marco quickly took hold of his wrists to still him. “It’s okay. Breathe. We’ll get through this. Come on, let’s get some of this cleaned up. Maybe some organization will make you feel better.”

Tom inhaled deeply, then nodded. “Yeah. Sounds good.”

They gathered up the trash and shoved it into a bag, and while Tom carried it out to throw it away, Marco began hanging up his clothes and folding others, familiar with how he liked things to be put away.

When Tom got back, he helped him with that, and finally all that was left was the various study materials strewn about.

“We’ll worry about that tomorrow,” Tom decided. “It’s late, and I need to introduce you to my parents.”

“Oh, you… want me to meet them now?”

“Yes. They’re gonna have to fill you in on a lot of stuff. But don’t worry, I’ll be right beside you.” He started for the door, then paused and said, “Also, um… We have to pretend to be in love. They won’t know who you are and will wonder why I want you over everyone else. So we have to be so obviously attracted to each other that they won’t get suspicious. Can you do that?”

Marco shrugged, anxious now. “I’ll try. Any uh… any tips?”

“Lean against me, hold my hand, smile whenever I talk, I don’t know. We’ll figure it out. Just know that demons are less shy about showing affection than humans. I… May have to kiss you. Is that okay?”

This talk was making Marco flustered. “Hey, whatever you gotta do. It’s fine, what are friends for?”

Tom nodded and led the way. “Okay. Let’s go.”

It was a fairly long walk through the palace, and Tom was greeted regularly by employees and servants. But finally he reached a set of doors that he stopped at.

“They’re in here doing some kind of financial thing, probably working the budget for the big day. Just… When you meet them, be respectful, and remember… You are deeply in love with me.”

“Okay. Deeply in love, I’ll try.” Marco had to steel himself. His new confidence had faded at the prospect of meeting the literal king and queen of the Underworld.

Tom pushed the doors open and strolled in. “Good news, guys!”

His parents looked up from the desk they were leaning over, next to a spindly little goblin who looked ancient. His dad seemed bored. “Did you finally find a suitor who lives up to your extravagant desires?”

Tom snorted, and reached back for Marco’s hand. “As a matter of fact, I have. Mom, Dad, this is Marcus. But he prefers to go by Marco, and… I want to marry him.”

Marco shyly waved to them, and then said, “Pleased to meet you.”

“What are you, a kiss ass?” the king snapped.

“Dad, rude,” Tom said. “Marco, these are my parents, but I’m sure you know them as King Judas and Queen Christine.”

“Of course,” Marco replied.

“They’ve been very eager for me to marry, so I’m sure they’re happy to see you.”

The two didn’t seem too happy at all.

But Christine said, “Tell me about yourself, Marco. What do you do for a living? Where are you from?”

Marco swallowed, unsure of how to answer. “I… am a student, I’ve been attending school, and Tom and I happened to meet one day, and just… really hit it off.”

“He’s from a small town not too far from here,” Tom said. “You know how I go to DeVille Point to get my hair done? Heh, I met him out there, and like he said, we really hit it off. Started hanging out more.”

“Oh yeah, we’ve just… We talk all the time and he told me about all his preparations, and then asked me to marry him,” Marco picked up. “I said yes.”

“You’re just a student? Not royalty, just… Some guy?” Judas asked.

Marco nodded. “I guess so.”

The pair groaned.

“Well hey, now he can learn everything he’ll have to do from scratch, instead of having to relearn it our way,” Tom said quickly.

“This is true,” Judas admitted. “But him? You really want to marry this nobody that we’ve never seen before?”

Tom nodded, wrapping his arms around Marco and pulling him close. “I love him. He’s the one.”

Marco blushed, but felt very content in Tom’s hold. He leaned in, resting his head on his chest.

After a few moments, Christine said, “Very well, at least you chose someone. Finally. Now it’s very late and you have training tomorrow morning, so we'll discuss this further later. Go to bed.”

“Of course. Just wanted you to meet my love first.” Tom pulled back, but kept an arm looped through Marco’s. “Let’s go.”

They walked out, and once they were a safe distance away, Tom let go of him.

“That went… well?” Marco asked.

“Oh yeah, it was fine. They accepted you. Honesty they’re just relieved I chose someone. You did good, especially during that hug.”

“Yeah, about that…” Marco rubbed the back of his neck. “That was nice. You were… real warm. Comfortable.”

“Really? Heh, well… So were you. It’s been awhile since we could hug and well, that was nice.”

Marco wasn’t sure what else to say, so he didn’t say anything. They just walked quietly back to Tom’s room.

Once they were there, Tom said, “Oh, you’ll need a place to sleep. Well, um…”

“It’s okay, I can share your bed, it’s big enough.”

Tom looked at it. “Yeah, I used to have a smaller one, but this one is definitely big enough for both of us. You don’t mind?”

“No, we’re getting married, we’re gonna have to share a bed anyway. Might as well get used to it now.” Marco went over to his suitcase, getting out his pajamas and changing into them.

Tom watched him for a few moments before going to his dresser and changing too. “I usually sleep in just my underwear but I guess I won’t do that if you’re gonna be next to me.”

“Thanks for the consideration.” Marco idly thought to himself that he wouldn’t mind, though.

They got into bed, lying down and getting comfortable. Marco grunted when he tried to lay on his side and one of his horns was pushed uncomfortably into the pillow.

“Yeah, you have to turn your head,” Tom said without even looking at him. “I remember when my horns first grew out. So unpleasant.”

Marco shifted, turning his head so the back of it was to the pillow. He supposed this worked. He was pretty tired after the eventful evening, and the bed was so warm and comfortable. He wondered if he was really making the right choice here, and then slowly drifted off to sleep.

 

It felt like hardly any time had passed before there was an ungodly screeching noise, and Marco nearly leapt out of his skin.

“It’s just my alarm clock,” Tom said, yawning. Marco looked at him, realizing that despite the room being dark, he could see him just fine. In fact, now that he had a calm moment to really think about it, he noticed that all his senses seemed more acute. He could hear Tom breathing. He could even smell him. He smelled like a wood fire, smoky and thick, with just the barest hint of something sweet.

Tom slapped the alarm clock to turn off that horrible noise, and started when Marco moved to snuggle close to him. “Nn, so tired,” he slurred.

“We need to go to breakfast,” Tom said. “And then I have to do some combat training like I do nearly every morning, it keeps me sharp. I’ll be with my dad but you’ll probably get dragged off by Mom so she can get you familiarized with everything and make sure you’re properly scared of her.”

Marco snorted. “She isn’t scary.”

“Easy to say now, but just you wait. Come on, we need to get up.”

“Can’t we just stay here a few more minutes?”

“Nope. Sorry.” Tom ran his fingers through Marco’s hair, down to his right ear, where he playfully twisted his earring. Then he carefully pushed him back and got up.

Marco was disgruntled by him leaving, and pushed himself up, rubbing his eyes. He watched Tom’s back, the muscles flexing under his skin as he sorted through the closet; he hadn’t worn a shirt to bed.

Tom really was attractive, and Marco had to admit, he has admired him many times before. But he always told himself he just appreciated him aesthetically, that there was no more to it than that, he could just acknowledge that he was hot and leave it at that.

But for some reason, it seemed different today. He was interested in the other, watching him closely, ears even leaning forward in case he spoke.

Marco shook his head. He was getting a little too into this wedding thing. He wasn’t actually in a relationship with Tom. Even if… that wouldn’t be so bad. Now that he thought about it, it wasn’t an undesirable idea.

“Don’t make me drag you out of bed,” Tom said, already dressed.

“Look at us, already arguing like a married couple,” Marco laughed.

Tom sighed, then walked over to the bed. He flicked the blanket back and seized Marco’s ankle, hauling him out and dropping him.

Marco grunted when he hit the floor, but despite it being stone, it didn’t hurt that much. He got up, pouting. “You’re so mean.”

Tom picked out a shirt from Marco’s suitcase and threw it at him. “Get dressed.”

Marco did as told, but as he tried to pull the shirt down, he realized it was a bit too short. That was strange, it had always fit fine before. Then he remembered that the transformation had made him taller. He sighed and decided he would need to replace his clothes. For now, he supposed this would do. Once dressed, he followed Tom out. The walk to the dining hall took a few minutes, and curious demons looked at Marco as they passed. Tom soon took his hand, holding it loosely. Marco thought it over, then wound his fingers through Tom’s.

To his surprise, Tom blushed, hand growing warmer. It was really cute. And everyone they saw nodded in understanding, smiling.

They entered the dining hall and were immediately met with the smell of food. Marco’s sensitive nose could pick out dozens of options. Bacon, ham, sausage, eggs, toast, oatmeal, and things he didn’t even recognize. Tom led him right up to a table at the front, where Judas and Christine were sitting, already well into their meals.

“About time you showed up,” Judas said.

“I had to drag Marco out of bed,” Tom said, sitting down and having Marco sit next to him. “Go on, have whatever you like.”

Marco hardly knew what to choose. He looked over all the choices, and then began piling ham and scrambled eggs onto his plate. He poured a glass of pomegranate juice, then dug in.

“Indeed. Well, Marco, how did you sleep?”

“Wonderful,” Marco said through a mouthful of food. Luckily, that wasn’t rude to demons.

“Did Thomas get you a room?”

“Oh, he let me stay in his.”

There was chuckling from everyone else at the table, and Marco looked around cluelessly while Tom just looked exasperated.

“What?” Marco asked.

“Of course he did,” Judas said humorously. “I’m sure he was a gracious host.”

Everyone laughed harder.

Marco looked at Tom, surprised to see that his face was red. “I’m so lost.”

Tom leaned over and whispered to him, “They think we slept together.”

“But we did sleep- oh.” Marco’s ears heated up, and he quickly grabbed for his glass, downing it.

“Don’t be embarrassed, son,” Christine said, patting Tom’s back. “We all do it.”

Tom looked like he wanted to just disappear into the floor. He looked down, staring at his plate as he ate.

“Why so shy about it?” Marco asked him. He smirked. “I thought you had fun.” If there was little shame about the subject in the Underworld, he was totally going to take advantage of it. He was still a teenager, after all.

Tom’s ears flattened for a moment, but then he looked up and smiled right back at Marco. “Oh I did, but I don't want everyone else hearing about it, or maybe they'll want to just steal you away for themselves.”

Marco leaned toward him, batting his eyelashes. “I'd like to see them try to take me away from you.”

“Heh, yeah. And even if they did, they'll be reminded that you've already been claimed once they see the marks that I've left on you, right...” Tom stroked a hand along his thigh. “Here.”

Even though there was no such mark, Marco blushed, feeling warm all over. Tom's eyes lingered on his for a few moments, then he moved his hand away.

Tom's parents seemed amused by the interaction.

“Good to see him showing some confidence about this,” Judas claimed. “I don’t know where he gets it from, but usually such talk embarrasses him. He must really love you.”

“I just think some things don’t need to be spoken of publicly,” Tom said. “But... I'm kinda getting over it. Like you said, we all do it. And Marco has... really helped me come out of my shell. Heh.”

“I hope so. You're also so non-confrontational, it's odd for a demon of your strength and influence to be so...” Judas cast around for the right word, and then said, “Agreeable all the time. You're going to be the king soon, you need to start putting your foot down to get what you want.”

“I’m not confrontational because I don’t want to upset people. I want to be kind, I want to be diplomatic. I… I once hurt someone very close to me because of anger. Actually, I’ve hurt multiple people.” He gazed at Marco for a few moments, then continued, “I don’t want to be like that. That’s why I started my anger management. That’s why I’m different now. And I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”

“And you chose a human to be your coach,” Judas said. “And he taught you to act human and keep your anger inside, don’t hurt people, do good to others! No wonder you’re so weird now. I mean, getting embarrassed over silly jokes about you sleeping with someone? Ridiculous!”

Tom’s hands shook, and he let go of his silverware, shoving them beneath the table so no one could see as he clenched them into fists. Marco quickly reached over to touch his back, trying to comfort him. “Just go ahead and say that you’re disappointed in how I turned out,” Tom said in a level voice.

He was answered with silence. It seemed that almost everyone else in the hall had begun listening to their conversation too, despite it being in relative quiet. Marco wondered just how good demon hearing was.

A few tense moments passed, and then Christine sighed and said, “We’re not disappointed. You’ve passed all your classes perfectly. You have what it takes to be the next king and we’ve raised you well. We were just… surprised by how much you changed when you hired that life coach of yours. It’s not a bad thing. Hurry up and finish eating, your father has been talking nonstop about the ax technique he wants to teach you.”

“Is it almost time to train?” Judas looked at his watch, then went back to shoveling down the mountain of food on his plate. “Ah yes, almost! Quickly, let us finish!” After a tense moment, conversation in the room picked up again.

Tom rolled his eyes and gave Marco a long-suffering look, and picked up his fork again.

“Sorry,” Marco said.

“It’s fine. You did nothing wrong, most demons do talk rather openly about lustful things. I just… never cared much to do so. I’m not sure why. Maybe I have spent too much time around humans.”

“Who knows. Wow, this food is great.”

Tom jumped on the change of topic. “Oh absolutely, we have some of the best cooks. You think this is good, just wait for lunch, oh and dinner, absolutely delicious!”

Marco was glad to see Tom more relaxed now, but he still felt bad about earlier. He had known Tom had a tense relationship with his parents, but now that he was able to see it in action, he wanted to try and ease that tension. Maybe he could get the family together and have them talk it out. After all, he might as well put his knowledge of psychology to use somehow, right?


	5. Combat Skills

Tom was soon led away by his father, leaving Christine and Marco behind at the table, one chair of space between them. Marco awkwardly kept eating, while the demoness neatly finished off her plate and then took a long sip of what seemed to be tea; Marco could smell its aroma from here. Then she lowered it. “What are you trying to do here?”

“What?” Marco swallowed and looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“You aren't a prince. You are not royalty of any sort and you did not bring any sort of money or gift to offer our family. What makes you think you could possibly be a lord of the Underworld?”

Marco's mouth hung open as he struggled to think of a response, then he said, “Well, how hard can it be? I figured Tom could teach me.”

She set her cup down hard, rattling the table and making Marco jump. “He has spent his entire life learning how to be a king. And then you, a peasant student from an irrelevant town, come strolling in thinking you could just join him and everything will work out. But you know nothing of our ways, you are not a demonic prince, you are not important.”

Her words stung, and Marco felt his ears lay back. His lip raised into a snarl, and he had to take a moment to compose himself. “I'm important to Tom,” he stated, pleased when she winced at that. “He loves me and believes I can be a great ruler. So why don't you teach me what I need to do, instead of just assuming I won't be able to? We still have a month and I learn fast. I can memorize the basics and learn the rest from experience.”

She laced her fingers together, her three eyes watching him intently. They were a much more intense shade of red than Tom's. “You have a lot of audacity for a common whelp. Perhaps there is potential in you... and I can see why Thomas is attracted to you. But don't expect any gentle treatment from the rest of us. Ruling the Underworld is a harsh and bloody business. You will encounter rivals who cannot be reasoned with. You will come under attack. And when that happens, you will do what you must to maintain your status.”

“Oh trust me, I know about doing whatever it takes to survive,” Marco assured her.

She lifted her brows, and stood. “Very well. But I will be watching you. Every mistake you make over the next month will have consequences. The eyes of the realm will be on you. Watching you for weaknesses, analyzing your strengths. I won't be surprised if you get attacked within the week. Maybe even today. How are your combat skills?”

“Well I don't like to brag or anything, but I am rather skilled at hand to hand combat,” Marco said smoothly, rubbing his claws against his shirt to polish them and then examining them.

“Is that so? I'd like to see that.”

“I'm sure you will one day.”

“Oh, that wasn't a suggestion. Come along.” She walked away. Marco had no choice but to get up and follow. “Has Thomas given you a full tour of the palace yet?”

“Not really,” Marco replied, looking around.

“Of course not. Well, as you've no doubt surmised from your arrival, the palace is carved entirely out of the wall of a cavern. We are located in the very back of the cavern. There is a winding path that makes its way to the front lawn. And there is only one way past our wall. And you've got to get past armed guards to do so. Due to the nature of the palace, of course the floors, walls, and ceiling are stone. You will not find any carpet or wood or such frivolous materials making up this structure, except for the hardwood doors. And before you ask, no, you do not need comfort. You can rest when you sleep, and for the rest of your time you will focus on your duties. This is the life you have chosen.”

Marco sighed, and she sharply looked over her shoulder at him.

“That won't be a problem, will it, _Marcus_?”

He shook his head. “No. And please, just call me Marco.”

“I'll call you whatever I want, cretin. As I was saying, we're in the back of the cavern. There are training areas within the wall surrounding the palace, but we're not going there. Instead, I'm going to take you to our private hand to hand combat trainer, and I'm going to see just how skilled you are.”

“Go ahead, I can take them.”

“We'll see about that, won't we?” She pointed out a few different areas along the way, but named each in a detached, bored voice. Marco soon grew irritated with the tapping of her heels along the stone, steady and monotonous. How did someone so cold and stern give birth to someone as warm and kind as Tom? Maybe Tom got it from his father. Marco kinda wanted to get to know Judas. Sure, Judas apparently had a fury that usually ended in people dead, but he seemed like he had personality, at least.

Christine regularly barked out orders at the demons who passed them, and they would always bow their head and utter a, “Yes, your highness,” as they hurried to do as she commanded. She never looked back at them, indifferent as soon as they were out of her sight. Marco made a decision to never treat these people like this once he was in charge.

Finally they were at the training room, and Christine pushed open the door and immediately called, “Talamor!”

A large demon with wide shoulders and thick arms was in front of her within moments, speaking in a low and raspy voice, “Ah, the lovely Christine, I wasn't expecting you this morning.”

“I wasn't planning on seeing your ugly mug either, but here we are.” She dragged Marco into the room with her, and he roughly jerked his arm away from her. She leveled a glare at him, which he returned. She may be the queen but he wasn't going to let her treat him like dirt. And he knew that she wouldn't intentionally hurt him; she wouldn't do anything that would upset her son. He hoped. “The boy here, Marco, is engaged to Tom. See what he's made of for me.”

Marco swallowed as he took in the size of the other. Talamor had a good two feet on him and was three times as wide, with fat and muscle in equal measure, huge fangs sticking out of his mouth due to his under-bite. He had horns like a bull and the nose ring to match. His claws were dirty and untrimmed and he was covered with bristly hair; he wore only a pair of striped trousers with tattered ends.

Marco told himself that at least this opponent will probably be slow moving, but he was going to hit like a truck, so he would have to rely on speed and agility. He hasn't really had time to get used to the dimensions of his new body, but he figured it wouldn't be too much different. He was just taller was all. He still had all his karate knowledge.

Christine drew up a chair, and the two moved to the center of the spacious room, which Marco now saw was ringed with exercise equipment. There were no mats underneath them and the floor was, of course, rock. Marco couldn't help but feel bad for Tom, knowing he had been trained in such a harsh location.

“Begin,” Christine called.

Talamor began circling Marco, and he hastily moved to circle back, not taking his eyes off him.

“Okay, Marco,” Talamor grunted. “We'll fight. I'll try to knock you down, you try to knock me down, simple?”

“Very simple,” Marco replied.

“Good. We start.” Talamor lunged for him, and Marco was startled by just how fast he was. He was barely starting to scramble backward when the other's weight crashed into him, slamming him hard into the ground. Something in his back popped and he gasped, and then the back of his skull was hitting the floor and everything sorta faded out for a moment. When he came to, he was laying flat on his back, staring up at a very disappointed demon.

Marco groaned, head throbbing.

“I thought you said you were skilled in hand to hand combat?” Christine called. Marco tilted his head back in time to catch her grinning before quickly setting her mouth into a slight frown.

Marco hissed in pain as he got up. “I wasn't expecting him to be so fast.” He looked at Talamor. “You're big, I thought you'd be slow.”

“First mistake, never assume you know anything about an enemy you've never fought before,” Talamor scolded him.

Marco had to admit, that was wise. He took a ready stance. “Okay, let's try again. I know what to expect now.” The pain faded as he focused. If he was still human, he had a feeling his rib cage would be crushed. But he felt just fine.

They circled, and Talamor said, “We start,” again. This time, when he rushed forward, Marco was ready. He shifted his weight to one foot and then kicked off, leaping out of the way. He lightly touched down and then jumped again, getting behind his opponent. He hardly stopped to think, just moving on instinct, and next thing he knew he had planted his foot hard into Talamor's back and launched him forward. The big demon went down, but managed to catch himself on an arm and push back up.

Marco took several steps back to safety, eyes wide as he realized just how fast he had moved. He has never been able to move like that before, and he was barely breathing hard. Not to mention, that kick had been harder than any he's ever delivered in his life. He blinked, and then grinned. Time to wipe that smirk off Christine's face. He ran back at Talamor, and when the beast of a demon swung at him, he raised an arm and deflected the blow, ducking in to strike hard at his exposed belly. This didn't have as much of an effect as he would have liked, the hard fat just seeming to absorb the impact. Talamor's fist clipped the side of his head and he jerked away, circling around and jabbing his elbow as hard as he could into the other's ribs. He heard him wheeze and quickly circled to hit his other side, where there wasn't near as much protective fat.

The smaller demon avoided Talamor's hand as it swiped at him, and straightened up to block the next attacks. Most of them he managed to force aside with his arms, but Talamor was stepping forward now, forcing him to back up and making it difficult to avoid the sudden kicks that came his way. The blows were harder, trying to wear through Marco's defenses, and they were really starting to hurt. There was only so long he could block before having to back off and recover his strength. He felt a lot stronger than ever before, but this behemoth was wearing him out.

Marco took a deep breath and disengaged, trying to get around to attack his back again, but Talamor was ready for that. He swept Marco's legs out from under him and delivered a powerful kick to his chest, sending him flying. He didn't stop until he hit the wall, where he then flopped down to the ground, head spinning and vision darkening as pain again flooded his body.

“Ooh, knockout,” Christine said gleefully. “You need a ton of work...” She trailed off as Marco slowly climbed onto his feet. He wavered, but straightened up.

“I'm not done yet,” he stated.

Talamor just chuckled. “You're gonna get yourself killed if you keep this up. You have talent but you're no match for me.”

“I'm not stopping until I literally can't move,” Marco said firmly. He returned to the center of the room.

Talamor looked to Christine, who shrugged and waved her hand. “Well, if he insists. Keep fighting him.”

After a few stretches, Talamor got right back into the brawl. He was more brutal this time, raining massive blows onto Marco, hurting his arms so bad he could barely move them, and he had to just jump out of the way. He was starting to grow exhausted now, panting and stumbling. Every so often he managed to kick Talamor and make him cringe, but it wasn't enough to stop him. Finally Marco just planted his feet and lowered his head, before slamming his horns as hard as he could into Talamor's chest as the larger tried to grab him. He was thrown back, and Marco flinched at the twinge that went down his head and neck from the impact. He started forward, but Talamor hadn't fallen, instead meeting him head on and ramming his skull into Marco's. Pain exploded behind his eyes, everything going white and ringing filling his ears. He reeled back, blinded and desperately shaking his head, ears turning as he tried to track his opponent, but it was no use; he was disoriented enough for merciless fists to drive right into his face, breaking his nose, cutting his lips. He cried out and tried to fend off the attacks, but Talamor was unforgiving, hitting him until his knees gave out and he collapsed to the floor, weakly shielding his face.

The blows stopped, and Marco laid there shaking, still unable to see and feeling blood running into his mouth. He swallowed thickly, hyperventilating.

“I think you've proved your point,” came Christine's voice, quite close. Marco made out the click of her heels as she moved up to stand right next to him, and then the toe of her shoe was prodding his chin, tilting his head about. “You really did not go easy on him.”

“I was testing the boy's abilities. He has talent, but his strength and endurance is just not where it needs to be.”

“Indeed. Think you can make him stronger?”

“Of course I can. Assuming I didn't break all his bones.”

“I'm sure he's fine. Get up, Marco. Admit to the shame of your defeat.”

Marco blinked a few times, and finally managed to see again, but everything was blurry. He pushed himself up, twitching as each movement caused pain. “Defeat isn't shameful. I learned from this, and next time, I'll do better.” He bowed his head to Talamor. “Thank you for your teachings.”

Talamor seemed surprised but appeased by the display. He lowered his head too. “If you have time, return for more training. I will teach you all I know, and you will never lose like this again.”

“Sounds good to me.” Marco turned away, and Christine led him from the room, not seeming to notice or care that he was limping after her.

“You didn't embarrass yourself as much as I expected,” Christine admitted. “I thought he was going to knock you out with one hit. Where did you learn to fight?”

Marco worked his sore jaw, trying to get the taste of blood out of his mouth, but that was impossible right now. He answered, “Things got dangerous around me at times. Even at school, there were those who wanted to abuse me. I didn't let them. I found a trainer and learned how to defend myself. I never let myself stop training. But Talamor is... on a whole new level from that small town trainer, I guess.”

“Of course he is. He's a professional. He's trained countless kings and queens to be unstoppable. And maybe he'll somehow manage to do the same with you.” Her tone seemed just a little warmer now, but it was still pretty dismissive of him. “I'll allow you to return to Tom's room to get cleaned up. No one needs to see you looking like this. They'll think you were assaulted on the street which really is not the kind of image a member of royalty should convey. It'll only invite more abuse. Oh, and Marco?” She slowed and turned to look at him.

“What?” he replied.

She looked him over with a bored expression, then looked forward again. “I appreciate your determination. That is one admirable quality you have. Maybe in time, you'll gain more.”

Marco was already annoyed with her attitude and now he was suffering, so his filter just kinda gave up for the day. “No offense, your highness, but you're kinda a bitch.” The moment the words left his lips, he regretted it, appalled at himself and expecting to get slapped.

But Christine only walked with a longer stride, head held high. “Thank you. I do what I can.”


	6. Recovering

Marco found that the pain faded from his body fairly quickly as he headed for Tom’s room, receding to dull aches. His nose stopped bleeding, and he gingerly prodded it. It was broken, but some small part of him whispered to just fix it himself. So he did, pushing it firmly back into place. The shot of pain made him grimace, but then it felt better. It seemed that he just healed fast now, and pain was dulled. That was gonna come in handy.

They were in the staircase leading up to Tom’s room when they heard a shout from a few flights down. They paused, and Tom jogged up the steps to meet them.

“Just got done training!” he announced, running his hand through his messy hair. “It was pretty fun, we…” He trailed off when he looked at Marco, and then said in a cool voice, “Mom, why is Marco bruised and covered in blood?”

Christine didn’t miss a beat, replying, “I had Talamor spar with him to see what his hand to hand combat abilities were, since he told me at breakfast that he was good at it. While he does have talent, he has a lot of room to improve.”

“You let _Talamor_ fight him? Mom, _I_ can barely beat him, and I’ve been training for years!” Tom grasped Marco’s face, looking him over, frowning at the splatter of blood down his face that pretty much proved his nose had been broken. He tenderly pressed his fingers to the bridge and Marco winced.

“I think I pushed my nose back into place,” Marco said. “It’s fine. He just… really went hard on my face right at the end.”

“I can see that, your eyes are swollen. Did you lose any teeth?”

Marco wasn’t sure. He prodded his tongue around, checking. “I don’t think so.” He opened his mouth so Tom could see.

Tom sighed with relief. “Good, you still have all of them.” He wrapped him into a hug, and Marco rested his chin on his shoulder. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“I was able to hold him off for a while,” Marco told him. “Got some really good hits on him, knocked him around… but in the end, he was stronger and beat me. I was expecting it, really. The moment I saw him I knew it was gonna be tough.”

“Yeah, he’s a beast. One of the best fighters in the Underworld. Honestly, you being able to stay conscious for several minutes and actually manage to hit him is incredible. Good job.”

“Thank you.” Marco sighed and leaned more into his grip, feeling like he was going to pass out.

Christine cleared her throat. “The two of you need to get cleaned up. Tom, after this I want you to meet with your father and I in the foyer so we can do a run through of your coronation again. Marco, you will be meeting with Clericus in the library. He has a lot he needs to teach you before you’ll be fit to become a lord.”

“Sounds good,” Marco said. He did like learning and he has been looking forward to learning firsthand about what it took to be royalty.

“Shouldn’t he join the coronation practice?” Tom asked. “He’s gonna have to learn his lines and everything too.”

“Oh, you know it’s as simple as repeating after us. We hand over the flag to symbolize the handing off of our responsibility to you, you both take it, and that’s the only time you really have your own statement to make. He can learn it in a day. After that you’ll address your new kingdom but you two can figure that out privately. He will join rehearsal when I feel he is ready.”

Tom nodded. “Okay. Well… Let’s go clean off, I guess.” He kept going upstairs with Marco, and Christine headed back down.

Once she was out of earshot, he said to Marco, “Seriously, are you okay? You look really bad, need any medical attention?”

“I’m fine,” Marco assured him. “Doesn’t hurt as much now. And the fight was actually really exciting! I’m a lot stronger and faster than I was before. I kicked him in the back and he nearly fell to his knees! It was insane.”

“You’re a demon now, of course you’re strong. And you can definitely get stronger. You’ll need to, it will get dangerous, like… Political rivalries are rampant down here, just like on Earth, but here it’s even worse… If a prince doesn’t have favor for some reason? Someone will probably make an attempt on his life. Even if it’s someone that the public generally likes, if there are enough people that disagree with his views, at least one may try to wound or even kill him just to get rid of him and hopefully let someone better qualified take his place. I’ve been through roughly, hmm let me think… Probably fifteen assassination attempts in the past year, not counting the random assaults on the street that were more meant to injure or intimidate me. It’s practically traditional at this point.”

Marco stared at him, horrified. “Assassination attempts?”

“Oh yeah. But don’t worry, I know how to avoid danger. And I usually kill whoever is behind them, which does a good job of keeping my other opponents away for a while.”

“Why would people want to kill you? You’re so thoughtful and smart!”

“Demons don’t want a king who’s thoughtful. They want a king who is vicious and bloody. A king who will assert his power and use it to keep the Underworld strong. They want someone solid and unwavering, cruel almost. Someone like my father, who once literally bit the head off a political rival during a televised debate and then proceeded to eat the rest of him just to prove his point. Not someone like me, who is diplomatic and always seeks to compromise. Who has a kind heart and wants to do good. For fuck’s sake, Marco, I once cried because I saw a deer up on the surface that was just too goddamn small. I’m… soft. And that’s a recipe for disaster to most people in my realm.”

Marco set his hand on his back. “But you won't be a disaster. You’re going to run this place your way and prove to them that it works. We’ll do it together, and they can deal with it. You may be a demon, but that doesn’t mean you can’t cry over cute animals and be kind to others. You can lead a change in the culture here. It won’t be easy, but we can do it.”

Tom nodded, and smiled gratefully, slipping his arm around Marco’s waist. “I’m so glad I decided to propose to you.”

“Come on man, don’t make it sappy,” Marco warned, but Tom leaned in to nuzzle his face anyway, pressing a little kiss to his cheek. He squirmed, laughing. “Ew.”

Tom laughed too, holding him more tightly. “Oh, you think that’s gross? At least I didn’t do this.” He licked the side of his face, and when Marco struggled, he let go and took off running.

“You ass!” Marco yelled after him, running to keep up.

“What about my ass?” Tom shouted back, looking over his shoulder to grin at him.

“I’m going to kick it!” Marco was actually gaining on him, but if Tom noticed, he wasn’t concerned.

“Don’t threaten me with a good time.” Tom sped up, making it to his room and heading down the small spiral staircase that led from the door and down to the floor. It was an interesting design choice but he was used to it. He was standing at the bottom of the stairs catching his breath when Marco barreled into him, pitching him forward. They lost their balance and hit the floor, Marco landing on top of him.

Tom twisted around to get on his back, looking up at Marco with amusement. “Getting frisky already? We aren’t even married yet.”

Marco blushed and got up, holding out a hand to help Tom up too. “Don’t make it weird.”

“Oh it’s gonna be weird, we are getting married after all.” Tom wiped his hands off on his pants and sighed at the sight of the mess still present in here. “Hey, why don’t you go shower first, and I’ll get things cleaned up? Take as much time as you need.”

“Okay.” Marco walked over to the other door in the room, which he assumed lead to a bathroom. It did, and the sight of modern plumbing surrounded by rock was quite jarring. There was even a torch burning in a sconce for light. He went over to the massive tub with its elegant curtain, brushing it aside and looking up at the large showerhead. Then he looked back down, seeing that Tom had a large assortment of items here. Body wash, shampoo, conditioner… _horn polish_? And there was also a pouf and a block of rough-looking material that reminded him of the detailers used for removing callouses from one’s feet and hands, except it had a curve to it. For horns, possibly?

He turned the knobs and watched water rain down. Once it was going, he tugged off his sweaty and bloody clothes and went to look at himself in the full length mirror across from the tub. He may heal fast, but that meant he was already covered with bruises. His face looked especially bad, eyes swollen like Tom had said, lips puffy, blood caking him.

He exhaled and turned about to examine the rest of his body. Besides the injuries, he looked pretty good. He was always in good shape before, but as a demon, he had a toned stomach and chest, able to see a six pack when he caught the light in certain ways, and his arms were lean, legs firm with muscle. He was running a hand over his butt with approval before realizing he was checking himself out a bit too much, and decided to just get in the shower. So he was more physically fit. Star probably did that on purpose.

The water was hot enough to fill the air with steam, but it didn’t bother Marco at all. He climbed under it, tilting his head back and sighing with relief as it soaked him, washing the blood away. Then it occurred to him that he had forgotten to bring in his own soaps. Actually, he had forgotten his clothes or a towel entirely. He groaned. He was so used to showering in his house, where it was perfectly acceptable to just walk naked back to his room.

Then again, he was a demon now. They had little sense of modesty. Tom probably wouldn’t care if he walked naked through the room to get to his stuff. Still, Marco was of course human for most of his life so he found it difficult to just let go of his old standards. He decided to just use Tom’s stuff. He had plenty.

The body wash felt like silk on his skin, and he gladly lathered it up, letting it soothe his bruises and run down his body. It smelled like fruit, which explained why Tom had that mildly sweet scent. He let it sit on him as he picked out a shampoo and sniffed it. Lavender. He chuckled and poured some out, washing his hair.

Once he rinsed out the shampoo and soap, he considered using conditioner, then decided against it. His hair would be fine without it.

He stood there under the spray for a while, just enjoying it. Then he finally turned it off and stretched. He felt a lot better now, and he grabbed the towel hanging right outside the shower. Hopefully Tom wouldn’t mind. He dried off, but as he was mopping at his hair, he noticed how rich Tom’s scent was on this towel. It’s been used by him for so long that no matter how many times it was washed, it would always have his scent. And some part of Marco really liked it, and for a moment he just held his nose against the fabric and inhaled, enjoying it. Then he lowered it, face heating up as he wondered where that urge had come from. He dried off the rest of the way and wrapped the towel around his waist, grabbing his dirty clothes and walking back into the bedroom.

“I forgot my clothes and brush and stuff,” he explained to Tom, whose back was to him as he replaced books onto their shelves.

“Okay.” Tom continued for a moment, then turned and looked at him. His eyes looked Marco over, up and down, and Marco’s face grew hotter.

“What?” he asked.

Tom blinked and then quickly looked forward, ears twitching. “You uh… Look good. You make a fine demon.”

Marco felt strangely pleased at the compliment. Something in his stomach seemed to flutter. “Oh. Thanks.”

“Mhm, don’t mention it.”

Marco grabbed what he needed (he made sure he picked out his longest shirt) and went back to the bathroom, getting dressed and brushing his hair and teeth. His mind was racing and he stared intently at himself in the mirror. The idea of actually being in a relationship with Tom was becoming more and more appealing, and something told him Tom would be perfectly fine with that as well. They have known each other for quite some time and got along really well… Maybe it would be possible. They were marrying, after all. The more they liked each other, the better. But for now, he decided not to make any moves. He would spend more time around Tom, prepare for the upcoming ceremony, and just… see where things went.

He thought about how Tom had nuzzled him earlier and smiled with content. Either way, things would be fine.


	7. Getting Educated

Once Marco returned to the bedroom, Tom grabbed a change of clothes and went into the bathroom. Marco looked around to see that he had managed to do a lot of tidying up in that short amount of time, and he went to sit on the bed and just stretch, working the soreness out of his arms. He rubbed his neck, and carefully prodded at his horns, hoping he hadn't damaged them while headbutting Talamor earlier. But they seemed fine. He idly tapped his foot, not really sure what to do. Then he got up, going over to take out his laptop and turning it on. Funny enough, there was Wi-fi here. He took a moment to absorb the oddity of that, and then clicked on the one that was strongest, its name written in an unfamiliar demonic script. After a few moments, it asked for a password.

Marco walked over to the bathroom door. “Hey, what's your Wi-fi password?”

“Uh... I don't know off the top of my head, I just kept it as the default letters and numbers. Look on my desk, it should be there somewhere.”

“Great.” Marco went to search his desk. There were lots of notebooks and papers though, and he hoped that the password would be labeled. But try as he might, he just couldn't find it. After a few minutes, he gave up. He just decided to watch a video he had downloaded ages ago.

This kept him entertained until Tom came out of the bathroom, dressed rather formally. Marco admired how the fabric fit his body so nicely, making him look slimmer. “You look nice. Why the fancy outfit?”

“They want me wearing stuff like this during rehearsal. When the actual day comes it will be even more fancy clothing, but for now they want me to get used to walking around in this. It's stupid but yeah.”

“Ah, that sucks.”

“Yeah. Oh well.” Tom slipped on a pair of dress shoes. “You ready to go to the library?”

“Yep. Also I wasn't able to find your password.”

Tom went over to the desk and opened a drawer, sorting through it for a few moments before pulling out a tiny notebook and flipping through it. “Found it.” He brought it over.

“Huh. I didn't even look in that.” Marco read it and typed in the password, managing to log in. “Nice, thanks!”

“No problem.” Tom put it back. “Let's go, before my parents get impatient.”

He led the way out, giving Marco a much better tour than his mother had. He dropped him off at the library, wished him luck, and said he probably won't see him again until lunch. Then he was jogging away.

Marco rolled his shoulders, preparing himself for whatever demon was waiting beyond the doors, and strolled in. He immediately stopped in his tracks, eyes growing wide as he stared at the immense bookshelves that seemed to go on forever, the mahogany desks, the plush armchairs. It was the kind of library that he could see himself spending hours in, surrounded by piles of books and just reading his heart out.

He finally walked forward, calling out, “Hello? Clericus?”

Someone stepped out from behind a bookshelf, shushing him. Actually, they didn't step, they slithered. On a back half like that of a massive snake, their upper half humanoid and wearing a purple vest. Their silvery hair was pulled into a long ponytail and they looked down at him from behind circular reading glasses. Their head was easily held eight feet off the ground. Startled, he backed up.

“What do you need?” they asked.

“Are you, uh... Clericus?”

“Yes. And you are?”

“I'm Marco, I'm engaged to Tom. The queen wanted you to teach me about being a lord?”

“Ah yes, she told me you would be stopping by. Very well.” He turned away, crossing the room. “Follow me, I've already set out the books you'll need to study.”

Marco followed him, watching his tail snap back and forth powerfully, candlelight glinting off the blue scales.

“So uh... I don't think I've seen someone like you before,” Marco said, hoping that wasn't offensive.

Luckily, Clericus seemed used to people saying that. “No, you probably haven't. I am a naga. We don't tend to spend much time in the Underworld but through circumstances I don't feel like explaining, I ended up down here. Thankfully my intellect gained me the favor of the king and queen and they allowed me to work here in their library. I teach history to those who wish to learn it. I'm also rather studied in economics and customs, no doubt why you were sent here. There is a lot of work to be done when running a kingdom and you have no knowledge of the subject. So expect to be in here a lot.”

“Fine by me.” Marco felt small next to the huge naga, whose largest body section was so big around that he wouldn't be able to get his arms around it, and even his humanoid torso was muscular. When he turned to look back at Marco, Marco realized that his eyes had slitted pupils like a snake and didn't seem to blink. They were solid silver.

“We will conduct our classes here.” Clericus gestured to a desk that was stacked with thick books, a leather-bound notebook sitting open among pens. “Take your seat.”

Marco sat down, and Clericus moved around to the front, lowering himself so they were on eye level. His body wrapped around the desk, and his tail came up to move a book in front of Marco, flipping it open.

“How familiar are you with the history of our current government?” Clericus asked.

“Not too familiar,” Marco admitted.

“So I should start at the beginning?”

“Yeah.”

“I see. Alright. Pay attention and make sure you take notes, because I'll be quizzing you regularly. Fail to pay attention and I might just have you for a snack.” Clericus's tongue flitted out to taste the air; it was forked. He drew it back in and Marco swallowed. “The history of this family began long ago.”

Marco hastily looked down at the book and read along as Clericus spoke, writing down nearly everything in the notebook. He had started out interested, but it grew boring after a while, as he was told of vicious battles and struggles for power, the accomplishments of each set of rulers and how they changed the kingdom for better or for worse. Clericus didn't skip a single pair, and there were hundreds. And any time there was a big war or other major event, he made sure he told him all about that as well.

They had only gotten through about a thousand years of history before it was time for lunch, but Clericus didn't let him go immediately. Instead, he quizzed him. Marco found it very difficult to recall everything, but he answered the best he could. He got quite a few names wrong, and each time Clericus's tail would smack him in the back of the head. It was annoying, and he was very glad when he was allowed to leave.

“The king and queen likely will have other plans for you after lunch. We will pick up when we next see each other.” Clericus pushed a couple books into his arms. “Read the next chapter of The Royal Lineage and review what we went over today, and do the same for Wars of the Underworld. It will prepare you for your next lesson.”

“Okay.” Marco picked up the notebook and walked out, sighing as he felt the beginnings of a headache. He was already tired and it was barely noon. He wondered how Tom was doing.

It took him a while to find his way back to the dining hall. Everything looked so similar when all the walls were the same kind of stone. But he eventually got there, and was relieved to see that Tom was there eating, and his parents weren't present. He hurried up to join him, and Tom smiled and stood to greet him.

“Hey, sweetheart!” Tom held his arms out and drew him into a hug, and Marco was very startled when his lips slid against his. Only for a moment, and then he was leaning back and sitting down once more.

Marco stared at him, fingers touching his lips, cheeks burning as he sat too.

Tom leaned in and whispered into his ear, “We're madly in love, remember? We've been apart for a while so it's expected for us to kiss each other upon seeing again.”

Marco supposed that was true. He nodded and turned to examine the food. There was chicken and duck available, roasted potatoes, butter, various sandwiches, and soup. He helped himself to some tomato soup and a sandwich, digging in.

“How was the studying?” Tom asked.

“Fine,” Marco replied, distracted. He kept thinking about that kiss, quick as it had been. He couldn't believe Tom had actually done that. Sure, they had to keep up appearances, but for Tom to just kiss him like that... it had surprised him. Especially since he had liked it. He really was conflicted on his feelings for him.

Tom said, “Is everything okay? You're being a lot quieter than usual.”

“I'm fine. Clericus just taught me a lot of stuff and I need to take it all in.”

“Ah, okay. I thought my kiss had taken your breath away.”

Marco snorted. Then he smiled, laughing. “You're so stupid.”

Tom laughed too and lightly punched his shoulder. “There's a smile. So you got lectured at by Clericus, I bet that was fun. Was he nice to you, at least?”

“Kinda. He threatened to eat me if I don't pay attention but he was nicer to me than your mom.”

Tom nodded. “Yeah, Mom can be pretty mean but she really only wants the best for me. She wants to make sure you're right for this.”

“Mm. Where are your parents right now, by the way?”

Tom thought about it, then said, “Dad had a quick lunch and now is out checking with the training squadron, did you know our army does its basic training right near the palace? Indeed, there's a small opening in the rock face down at the base of the palace, and once you get through there it opens into another cavern, where a small military base is. Heavily guarded and everyone who joins our army has to go through that training. They also have a really nice food court there.”

Marco was interested. “Huh, I'd like to visit some time.”

“I'm sure we will. Dad goes there all the time to increase trainee morale. He likes to fight with various instructors and beat them to amuse everyone. So yeah, that's what he's doing right now. As for Mom, she's going over the details of how rehearsal went and probably changing things around yet again. I'm sure she'll be here soon. Maybe.”

“Ah, okay.” Marco finished off his soup. “What are we doing after lunch?”

“I have class. And you are to go outside and Dad will come and get you because he wants to have a talk.”

“Oh no.”

“Of the 'now that you're dating my son' variety.”

“Crap.”

“You'll be fine, I'm sure he just wants to lay down the law, you know how dads are. Once he's done with that he probably just wants to bond with you. You're about to become his son-in-law, he wants to get to know the guy I'm getting married to. You'll be okay. But just know that he has a hair trigger temper. Try not to upset him. If you do, just duck your head and apologize. Be submissive. Trying to argue back will just make it worse, even if you're right. Especially if you're right.”

Marco chewed on his sandwich, frowning. “Okay. Do you think your parents will ever like me? Because so far your mom seems to want me to get hurt and your dad... well, I haven't spent enough time with him yet.”

“Mom hardly likes anyone. But she'll definitely grow to tolerate you. And I think Dad will like you once he gets to know you. You're smart and you have an attitude, he'll like that. And anyone that I find good enough to marry is someone he'll find good enough to hang out with. You'll be fine. Even if I had chosen one of those rich demonesses, Mom would probably still be rude toward them. It's just how she is. Don't take it personally.”

“I guess. So where am I going to meet Judas at?”

“Just got outside and hang out near the front gate, he'll meet you there. I can show you how to get down there to the entrance doors if you need.”

“Yeah, I'm not sure how to get outside from here.”

“That's fine, it's pretty hard to get around until you get used to it.”

They finished eating, and Marco relaxed more, deciding not to think about the kiss for now and just telling him about what he studied. Tom had learned about that stuff long ago but he discussed it with him, helping him to understand it better. Then he told him about how the coronation rehearsal had gone. He pretty much had the hang of it but his parents wanted him to keep doing it until it was perfect.

Once they were done eating, they first went back to their room so Marco could drop off his books, and then Tom took him downstairs. They held hands the entire time and really it was pretty okay. Marco was getting used to it and it didn't make him blush at all. It just felt natural, and he even began to lean his weight on Tom after a while.

When they stepped outside, Marco learned that it was just a relative term, apparently; it didn't look much different from inside. There was still a ceiling, it was just much higher up. He could see for further out. But there was still rock underfoot too, and he could just sense that they were in a cave. But he supposed this was life now. It was the Underworld. They were underground. It was just going to be endless caves and lava and no more sky. He'd have to go back up to Earth for that.

Despite this, some supernatural force kept the area lit with somewhat red light. He could see perfectly fine, and he looked around. There was a huge amount of land in front of the palace, and he could actually see areas where there was grass and plants, though they looked like they were struggling to stay alive. And even further beyond was the wall Tom had mentioned, with a heavy iron gate as the only apparent way to leave. It was currently open but looked like it could be snapped shut at a moment's notice. He squinted. “Are there archers on the wall?”

“Yep. We're very well fortified here. This area is open to the public but it's well monitored. Oh look, that looks like Dad coming back from the base now.”

Marco saw someone flying toward them on broad wings. “Oh yep, that looks like him.”

Tom clapped him on the back. “Good luck. Don't get on his bad side but also don't let him scare you too much... he can light up like a furnace but you're a demon too, you can withstand anything he tries to do. Well, unless he just straight up eats you. But I don't think he'd do that. And he'll have me to answer to if he hurts you. See ya later.”

“See you.” Marco leaned in to hug him, and Tom hugged him tightly. Marco was somewhat hoping for another kiss, but didn't get it this time, as Tom just let go and went back inside. He tried not to let it sting. As much as they had to fake it, they weren't actually in a relationship. He shouldn't expect that from him.

Judas landed in front of him and folded his wings, slapping his hand down on Marco's shoulder. “Ah, Marco, I've been waiting to have a private chat with you!”

Marco was proud of himself for not flinching, though his shoulder was now smarting. “Oh, have you?”

“Indeed! Come, let's walk!” Judas said it like a suggestion, but his hand moved to Marco's back, nails digging in and pushing him forward. Marco had no choice but to walk with him, silently praying that he would come out of this intact.


	8. More Training

Marco was incredibly nervous as he walked next to Judas, the king’s hand never leaving his back.

“I didn’t think Tom would get around to choosing anyone before it was time for him to take the throne,” Judas said. “But now I understand why he was rejecting everyone. He had met you. I was hoping for someone with some money to their name, with the proper education to be a lord, but… I suppose you will do. My wife told me you have skill in unarmed combat. That will serve you well. But I need to make one thing very clear to you.” He let go of Marco and stepped in front of him, staring at his eyes with such intensity that Marco froze. “You will not harm my son. If I hear that you have hurt him, I will kill you.”

Marco gulped, ears flattening with fear. But he managed to say, “I would never hurt him, but if I did… I’m pretty sure he’d kill me before you could.”

A tense moment passed, and then Judas straightened up, roaring with laughter and clapping Marco’s shoulder so hard his knees buckled. “Indeed he would! But my point still stands. I love my son and value his life far more than yours. I would choose him over you any day.”

“I would expect no different.”

“But treat him well, be there for him, and help him run this kingdom and we’ll get along just fine. I don’t understand why but he wants to keep his anger under control. So help him do that. You seem like a calm, well-mannered young man. I can see why he’s attracted to you. I really hope things work out.”

Marco relaxed a little, glad that the other was no longer pushing him along. “Thanks, me too.”

“I feel obligated to let you know, and Tom has probably told you already, but it’s very dangerous to have political power in the Underworld. We have opponents and they’re always trying to get rid of us. You may come under attack if you go beyond the walls. You must be cautious, but you also can’t just stay inside all the time. It will make you appear spineless. So if you go out, please go out with Tom. Word of him being engaged to you has already gotten around and it won’t be long before everyone knows who you are, and you’ll join the list of targets. Don’t travel alone until Talamor has trained you enough and approved of you doing so. Trust me, it’s for your own good. When my wife was engaged to me, it was a week before the coronation when she went into town. It was only a quick trip to pick out a nice hair clip for herself for the big day, as she didn’t like the ones the servants kept bringing for her. She came back with a gash from a poisoned dagger in her arm. We managed to stop the poison and patch it up, but a few more minutes and she might not have made it.” He was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath. “Just be careful out there. It’s a vicious world for royalty.”

Marco nodded. “I understand. Thank you, I’ll be careful. I uh… people used to call me the safety kid, actually. Heh, always trying to avoid trouble. Until Tom found me.”

Judas chuckled. “It’s good that he found someone who’s careful like him. At least neither of you will annoy the other on that front. But you need to know when it’s time to be confrontational too. Find a good balance.”

“Okay.”

They were walking across the yard without Marco paying much attention to where they were going, but he noticed when they began heading for the gate. “Wait, are we going to the town?”

“Sure, I figured I could show you around, there’s this restaurant that we really enjoy eating at sometimes, when we just wanna get away from the usual stuff at the palace. And there’s a video store that Tom goes to all the time, you’ll love it.”

Marco wasn’t sure he was ready to be out in public down here, considering he was going to be walking around with the king and he had just been told about what tends to happen to members of royalty in public, but he didn’t argue.

They walked down cobblestone streets, and the buildings seemed old-fashioned and made of stone, but with the juxtaposition of having some very modern adornments. There was obviously electricity, modern lighting, TVs and radios, and vehicles. He saw all manner of clothing styles on passing demons and other creatures, from what looked to be rags, to robes, to collared shirts and corsets and tailored slacks, to perfectly modern t-shirts and jeans. But this was the Underworld, and it occurred to him that many of these demons were once human. It stood to reason that they were merely continuing to wear the clothes they had worn when on Earth.

Judas showed him around, and Marco lingered in a marketplace, checking out some jewelry.

“You have a fine eye,” the hunched woman behind the counter cackled. “Jewels guaranteed to make your lover fall for you when you present them! Or even better, wear this hoop on your ear and no one will be able to resist your charm!”

Marco had to admit, most of these pieces were gorgeous. He was leaning in to examine a ring when Judas came up next to him, and the merchant straightened up slightly.

“Oh, your majesty!” she said happily. “Come to browse my humble assortment?”

“No, no, I’m just leading around the boy, here.” Judas patted his back. “Prince Tom has finally decided to marry someone and this is the poor fool he’s chosen.”

The lady seemed delighted. “Oh and what a handsome lad, so tall and strong! You be good to our prince, he’s gonna do wonderful things for the Underworld!”

“Indeed he is.” Judas leaned down and said quietly to Marco, “People are taking notice of you, we should move along. And this jewelry is full of curses so I’d recommend not touching them too much.”

Marco hastily put down the earrings he had been considering. He nodded to the merchant and made a quick excuse before letting Judas lead him away.

“You will find many people selling cursed wares. With how powerful the enchantments on those were, I was surprised you couldn’t feel it. I’ll have to get you into a class with our palace mage so he can train you, otherwise you’re going to receive a pretty necklace and put it on and then fall dead where you stand. But don’t worry, once you learn how to sense harmful magical energy, you’ll never fail to notice it! That power will keep you safe from many things.”

Marco couldn’t help but chuckle. “Seems like everything wants to kill me.”

“Ah yes, the glory of life as a royal. You’ll get used to it.” Judas showed him the restaurant he had mentioned, and then took him to a clothing store. Marco really liked some of the choices, but elected not to buy anything. Mostly because he didn’t have the proper money but also because he kinda wanted to shop with Tom instead, so he could get his opinion on things. But he would definitely have to do that soon; he was just too tall for most of his old clothes.

Everywhere they went, Judas was being stopped by citizens and spoken to, and he would always introduce Marco and tell them all about this bright young man that Tom was marrying. Marco was starting to wonder if the Underworld had journalism when someone wielding a notepad and pen showed up to do exactly that, talking to him and asking a ton of questions, which he did his best to answer. He looked to Judas for help, but the man just stepped back with a grin and told him to get used to paparazzi.

When the spontaneous interview was done, she lifted a camera and snapped a picture of Marco, then took off.

“That’ll be all over the news tomorrow,” Judas commented. “Well, I suppose people were going to find out about you anyway. We’ll make time to give you a proper introduction later. Let’s head back. I’m going to take you to meet Archedon, our mage.”

More training. Marco was worn out just thinking about it, but at least magic training would probably be fun. The more he knew, the better he will be able to defend himself. And it was only fair that after spending so much time around Star, a master of magic, that he finally got to learn some too. He couldn’t wait to tell her about his teachings.

The walk back to the palace took about half an hour; they had gone further than Marco realized. But despite the distance and the heat, he wasn't at all tired. He gazed up at the ceiling high above, watching bats fly around, and then lowered his eyes again. He couldn't help but wonder how they told time down here, but he couldn't very well ask Judas. He'll have to ask Tom later.

They went inside and up the staircase. All the way up, even higher than Tom's room. Until they reached an ornate door with strange symbols on it.

“Here is Archedon's observatory and study,” Judas said.

“Observatory?” Marco lifted a brow. “Does he have a telescope? How can he see anything with it?”

“He has his ways. Let me introduce you.” Judas took him inside.

Marco was surprised when he stepped onto marble rather than the stone he had become accustomed to. Much like the library, there were bookshelves, but these were made of iron and seemed to have more scrolls than actual books, and were arranged in unusual shapes rather than the usual horizontal rows. A winding staircase ran up the cylindrical room and when he craned his head back, Marco saw that the ceiling was domed and painted with constellations. There were multiple levels to the room, but he couldn't quite make out what was at each of them.

Judas called, “Archedon!”

The mage appeared before them in a gleam of light. He was a little taller than Marco but most of his body was concealed by a thick crimson robe with swirls of black on it. His face was long and hidden under a hood, eyes solid black and glittery. He had thin horns like those of a deer.

“Yes, your grace?” he asked, bowing his head and clasping his hands in front of him. His large sleeves dangled loosely from his spindly wrists.

“This is Marco, he is engaged to Tom. He has little to no magical training, so I would like for you to teach him the basics. Make sure he is able to identify cursed objects and poisons. I don't need his death disrupting our festivities in a month.”

“Of course. After years of having Thomas as my only student, a fresh face will make things... interesting.” Archedon stepped forward, circling Marco and prodding at him with no regard for his comfort or personal space. He lowered his hood, and Marco glanced at him in time to see a third eye open on his forehead, staring at him. A chill went through Marco's body and he shivered. It felt like he was being doused in cold water. He let out a sigh of relief when the eye closed once more.

“See anything interesting in him?” Judas asked.

Archedon rubbed his chin, regarding Marco thoughtfully. “I see many interesting things in the boy's mind. Wisdom, determination... utter affection for your son. He is collected, calculating, but has a kindness I have not often seen. And he has a heart that has always yearned for adventure. Teaching him will be an experience. You may go about your duties, Judas... I'll have him downstairs in time for dinner.”

“Thank you. Teach him well. Have fun, Marco.” Judas left the room.

The moment the doors shut, Archedon snapped his fingers, and Marco let out an alarmed yelp when something slammed into the back of his legs. He fell back and landed in an armchair, which carried him over to the center of the room. Archedon sank into one as well, sitting across from him and regarding him over crossed fingers.

Marco hastily sat up, fixing his hair and trying to look casual.

“I really must commend you,” Archedon said. “Never expected to see an ex-human get in good with the royal family.”

Marco's heart skipped a beat, and he opened and closed his mouth several times before managing to say, “O-oh, well you see, I... I mean, what do you mean, ex-human, I...”

Archedon raised a hand, cutting him off. “There is no point in lying to me. I saw everything in your mind. Just yesterday you were a human boy. And now you are one of us. I'm not here to reprimand you, and I won't tell the king and queen. Or anyone else. Tom will be the only one who knows unless you choose yourself to tell others. I just find it very curious.”

“I've been a good friend of Tom's for a few years now, so when he started having to prepare for his coronation, he vented to me about it all the time. And recently he proposed the idea of marrying me just to get his parents off his back, because he actually likes me, and figured it would work out. But he knew I couldn't marry him as a human. So... he had the princess of Mewni change me. And it's... well, it's been an experience so far.”

“I can see that. You've been through a lot in only a day. And it won't slow down. You will keep receiving training, you will participate in the daily preparations, you may even come under attack. Actually, those are all givens. So I will train you in the arcane arts so that you may protect yourself. I sense that you are skilled in physical combat, and that will get you far. But no matter how physically fit you are, that won't just automatically grant you an immunity to poison. You must be able to identify and avoid them.” Archedon stood, gesturing to Marco and leading him to the staircase.

Marco really hoped that Archedon was telling the truth when he said he wouldn't tell anyone about how he used to be human. “So, uh... did you read my mind? Is that what happened?”

“In a sense. With my third eye I can see the very aura of your being. I can see thoughts and memories at the forefront of your mind. If I focus, I can even look into your past. And there are things I see that I don't even have the words for. It gave me a glimpse into your nature, and told me everything I needed to know in order to teach you. I must warn you, this will not come naturally to you. There are aspects of being a demon that simply cannot be taught, that one must be born with. Princess Star did an excellent job transforming you but it only goes so deep. You likely do not have true demonic instincts. We will see.”

They stepped off at the first level, and Marco looked around to see shelves covered in bottles, containers, and other items just sitting out by themselves. Plants, feathers, claws, stones, all manner of things. And there were cauldrons and other devices that he recognized as being for brewing. Star had never been much for potion making but Tom had gone through a phase where he dabbled heavily in it and he had told Marco all about it.

“We will start simple,” Archedon said. “I will introduce you to some common, easily made poisons. You will learn about their properties and ingredients, and you will learn how to identify them by scent. Do well in this, and we won't have to go the much riskier route of teaching you by taste.”

Marco must have looked worried, because the mage laughed softly.

“Very small amounts still have a distinct taste and won't kill you, they'll often just make you violently sick. Again, learn by scent and we won't have to do that. Ready to get started?” Archedon was already pulling down items, none of which looked safe at all.

“I guess so,” Marco said, stomach coiling with trepidation. What has he gotten himself into?


	9. End of the Day

Archedon set a small cauldron to heat up over a fire, and then laid out the ingredients on a table. “The easiest poison to brew is something I like to call the widow’s poison, though it has many names. It isn’t guaranteed to kill the drinker; it depends on the skill of the person making it and the hardiness of their victim. You can make it with many different common and easily obtainable goods. You start with a base of simple water, as you can see. Honestly, the dirtier the better. Then, the scheming brewer will wait for it to boil before mixing in… Can you identify these?”

Marco looked at the tiny fleshy spikes attached to chunks of flesh laying on the table, and shook his head. “Can’t tell.”

“These are the spines of diodon nicthemerus, commonly known as the porcupinefish. Its flesh contains a deadly neurotoxin hundreds of times more lethal than cyanide. Prepared properly and only using certain parts of the fish, the meat is a delicacy. But one can easily purchase the entire fish and harvest the lethal sections for use in poisons.”

“Whoa.” Marco definitely did not want to touch those.

“And one can purchase this in any general store…” Archedon gestured to a vial of thick red liquid. “A sample of dragon blood. It’s an excellent cleaner, will scour stains right out of ovens, toilets, bathtubs… And melt the organs right out of your body if swallowed.”

He went over each item he had set out, explaining just how common they were and what they could do to the unsuspecting consumer. By the time he was done, the water was boiling and he mixed a few items in. The mixture turned inky black.

Marco watched with morbid fascination, and when Archedon tossed in the poisonous nightcrawlers that only lived in the Underworld, the resulting smell nearly made him gag. He covered his nose, eyes watering.

“Awful, is it not?” Archedon said, staring into the cauldron as he stirred. “You see now how you should be able to smell it? Of course, anyone with a brain will conceal that scent. Like so.” He took a single rose and dropped it in. Marco stared with wonder as the scent disappeared, and even stranger, the color also shifted, becoming light pink.

“Why did it just change colors like that?”

“Why indeed? Alchemists have spent eons trying to determine exactly why certain combinations of ingredients cause the reactions they do and still haven’t found any definitive reasoning. It is simply part of the inherent magic of our world. A rose should not have turned this mixture pink considering how it had looked before. But it did, and always has and always will, assuming particular other ingredients are present.” Archedon sniffed the poison and gestured to Marco. “Now see though, how under the flowery scent, you can still smell the poison?”

Marco didn’t want to lean closer to the brew, but he did. Just as Archedon said, he smelled roses. And below that was that horrid scent from the nightcrawlers, the sting of the dragon’s blood, and he felt himself grow lightheaded. He leaned back, taking a few gulps of fresh air. “Oh yeah, I smelled it.”

“Good. You have a good sense of smell. Use it. Now, a spoonful of this has around a fifty percent chance of killing someone. Two spoonfuls will likely do the trick. And three if you’re really trying to get rid of someone big and powerful. Because there are antidotes, especially to this. A simple draught of whole grain, some freshly plucked butterfly wings, and rosebuds mixed into cold vinegar will do the trick. Disgusting but adequate. I keep those in bulk. Obviously as poisons get more complicated they require more complicated antidotes, but we’ll get into that. Let me show you how various drinks interact with this.”

Archedon showed him how it looked to mix a spoonful of the poison into a glass of water. It took on a very faint tinge of pink, one that probably wouldn’t be noticed unless you were looking for it. A second glass showed what two spoons looked like. Noticeably pink. By three it basically looked like pink lemonade, and Marco expressed this.

“Indeed, it does. Which is why a squirt of pure lemon juice and a sprinkle of sugar is all that’s necessary to convince your victim that you are serving them pink lemonade. You see how dangerous this is? How easy it is to poison someone you don’t like? This is why you must be careful. You must be able to smell it. You must be able to react quickly to drop something that smells off, even if it’s faint. Your life will depend on it. This is an amateur’s poison. There are far more. Ones that take only a drop. That kill in minutes. That you can barely smell. You will have to learn all of them.”

Marco nodded, setting his expression. “I understand completely.”

“Good. Now start sniffing those glasses, and I’ll tell you when we can move on.”

And that was how the next few hours progressed. Archedon made poisons and Marco had to learn their scents, and be able to pinpoint them no matter how diluted in liquid or food. There were ones that turned perfectly clear, that were tasteless, and even ones that actually didn’t have a detectable smell. For the last, Archedon had to teach him about magical auras, how to sense the lethal ingredients themselves rather than what they combined to make. It was complicated, and Marco just didn’t get it at first. Archedon was patient though, and let him take a break when it became apparent that the brewing was making him dizzy.

“Thank you,” Marco said, relieved. He found a chair to slump into, rubbing his head. He was beginning to get a headache, and now that he wasn’t so focused, he noticed that he was nauseous. His thoughts went to Tom and he hoped that he was having a better day.

Archedon brought him a cup of some sort of lavender liquid, which he sniffed curiously.

“This isn't a poison, it’s a medicine,” Archedon said. “Since you’ve been getting exposed to these various poisons. Drink it and you’ll feel better.”

It did smell safe. Marco drank it. He immediately felt better, and smiled as he handed it back. “I wouldn’t mind learning about potion making.”

“It is a vast subject. I can teach you, but first we must finish up with the poisons. And after that is curses, which are much harder to sense than poison, as they often do not have a truly physical presence. But a simple awareness of magical energy will often tip you off to those. Once you start passively observing the magic around you, it’s very difficult to stop. I’m sure you’ll be talented at that, you’re very observant.”

Marco chuckled. “Thank you, I try.”

Once he was recovered, they got back to poison identification. Marco was impressed by just how sensitive his nose was, how once he knew what to pay attention to, he noticed it immediately even if masked by stronger scents. He was pretty pleased with his progress, even if he apparently still had a long way to go.

When he was finally released, he stumbled going down the stairs.

“More toxins have probably built up during our lesson,” Archedon informed him. “There is a food item that can help cleanse your system. Do you have an idea of what it is?”

Marco paused to think about it, then hesitantly said, “Milk?”

“Indeed. But that probably won’t be available at dinnertime. If there are baked potatoes, have one with sour cream. That should do the trick, but you might have a queasy stomach until tomorrow.”

“Got it. Thank you for the lesson.”

“It was my pleasure. Good day now.” Archedon sat down at his desk and Marco left the room.

He had a crick in his neck after leaning over a cauldron for so long, and he was feeling a tad overwhelmed. He knew there would be a lot to learn but it’s only been a day and his mind was buzzing from all the information he’s absorbed. He really wanted to just lay down and sleep on this.

He wondered what time it was as he went downstairs, and peeked into a sitting room that he had been shown earlier. It was empty but did boast an impressive grandfather clock, which announced the time as shortly after 4 PM. It probably wasn’t even dinnertime yet. Time to find Tom, then.

He wandered around aimlessly, knowing that Tom had lessons to attend but having no clue where, and finally just gave up and went to the dining hall. He went through to the kitchen, introduced himself, and asked when dinner started.

“We begin setting tables the moment it hits 5 PM,” he was informed.

“But if a member of the court comes in to dine early, we will serve them,” another said.

They were already trying to tempt him with various foods, but he didn’t really feel that hungry right now, so he politely declined and tried to escape. He still didn’t make it out without being convinced to take a buttered roll with him, and he just sighed and thanked them before leaving.

He was slightly paranoid after all that talk about poisons, and made sure he checked the roll before actually biting into it. It was really good, and he felt silly for thinking someone in the kitchen would try to hurt him. They valued their lives too much for that.

Marco ended up just going back upstairs and reading the textbooks that Clericus had given him. He had finished one of the assigned reading chapters when Tom trudged in.

“Hey,” Marco called to him.

“Sup.” Tom dropped a few books of his own onto his desk and sighed, rubbing his eyes. Then he came over to sit next to Marco. “How did it go with Dad?”

“Pretty good. We just talked a bit, and ended up walking around in town for a while before coming back. Then he sent me to uh… Archedon to learn about poisons and stuff so I don’t get assassinated.”

Tom chuckled. “You’re just getting thrown into all sorts of training aren’t you?”

“Unfortunately. I feel like my brain is gonna shrivel up and die.”

“You’ll get used to it. I am done for the day though, my parents told me to spend some time with you. I guess they’re happy I have someone, even if it’s not who they expected.”

Marco moved to lean against him. “Can we go shopping after dinner? I need clothes. All mine are a bit too small now.”

“I noticed. Sure, we can get you some new clothes. For now, wanna go eat? You can tell me about what you’ve learned.”

“Sure.”

Marco discussed poisons with him as they went downstairs, and Tom told him about the time he nearly ate something containing the venom of a black mamba before his instincts kicked in and he spit it back out. Even so, he had been sickly for a few days, body numb and difficult to move. It wasn’t a fun experience.

They enjoyed dinner, helping themselves to steak and potatoes, hearty salads and warm pastries. Marco was tempted by another kind of meat with an intriguing scent, but immediately lost interest when Tom told him it was gryphon meat.

“Oh come on, they taste great,” Tom said. “So soft and tender like chicken, but there’s also this rich flavor, kinda like steak, but… quite different, probably the lion half, but oh it’s good.”

“Pass,” Marco said.

Tom shrugged. “That’s cool.” He went back to tearing into the gryphon wing bicep he had picked out.

Marco talked a bit to Tom’s parents, but mostly they were concerned with their own affairs and talked to the adviser sitting further down the table.

Once dinner was done, they headed out. They took Tom’s carriage, and Marco greeted the skeleton horse, who’s actual name he still didn’t know. Maybe it didn’t have a name. They passed the time jamming out to Love Sentence, and Marco enjoyed finally being able to relax. At one point in their karaoke session, they got so into it they draped their arms around each other’s waists, leaning together and nearly laughing as they sang.

Then Too Little, Too Late came on the shuffle and they quieted, remembering when they had sang this to each other three years ago.

“Man, remember when we first met?” Tom asked. “I legit couldn’t stand you. But… I really warmed up to you. Your failure to beat me during ping pong was endearing, and then when we rode around town together, man… Those were the days.”

“First you kidnapped me, then you manipulated me into hanging out with you so you could pass a dumb anger management course,” Marco said. “You were a jerk. But I understand why you acted the way you did back then. It’s hard sometimes, to change yourself. But you knew who you wanted to be and you did it. I’m proud of you for learning to control your anger.”

Tom smiled, and shyly ran his fingers against Marco’s. “Thank you.”

Marco turned his hands, winding their fingers together. “And then we started hanging out more and more. We found out just how much we had in common. And when things got really bad for me and Star, you were there to help us. I’m honestly glad that you kidnapped me out of pure jealousy all those years ago.”

Tom laughed, less shy now, and more confidently holding Marco’s hands. “Me too.”

Marco gazed at his eyes, and then glanced at his lips, taking a deep breath. His chest felt tight. Maybe he should just… lean forward…

The carriage rattled to a stop. “We’re here,” the horse called.

Tom dropped his hands and turned away, heading for the door. Marco went with him, disappointed. But he perked up when Tom took his hand again as they hopped down from the carriage, and they went into the clothing store.

It became immediately apparent that this was where Tom did most of his shopping. Plenty of shades of red and black, many articles covered with occult symbols, and there were accessories and shoes and much more to choose from.

Marco ran his fingers over a smooth leather jacket, then saw the price tag and decided not.

“Will my debit card work down here?” he asked curiously.

“Should, but you don’t have to spend any of your money, I’m loaded. Just pick out whatever you like.”

So Marco tried on various shirts, not really caring about the styles, just wanting something comfortable. He was glad that his old hoodies still fit him, but he definitely needed shirts. Once he had found some he liked, he began trying on jeans. He particularly liked one of the pairs of skinny jeans he found, which surprisingly weren't too tight but still looked really good on him, and Tom whistled when he came out of the dressing room in them, blatantly checking out his butt. “Looking good, Diaz! Or should I say, Di- _ass_.”

Marco flushed and hurried back into the room, quickly taking them off and putting them back on the hanger. He was still getting them though.

Once he had clothes and shoes, he began checking out jewelry, considering getting a new earring. Tom browsed the selection with him, and Marco settled on a pair of small skulls made from actual bone, with tiny obsidians for eyes.

“Of course, you will want to wear both at once, right?” Tom asked. “They come as a pair, so…”

“My other ear isn’t pierced,” Marco said.

“Well that can be fixed.” Tom nodded to the demon behind the counter, who rummaged in a drawer before producing a needle. “How about it, want another piercing?”

“Well… I suppose I might as well.” Marco leaned over the counter, and his ear was gripped. He was starting to brace himself for pain, but then he felt the barest of pricks and the needle was already being withdrawn. “Wait, is that it?”

Tom laughed. “Of course. What, did you think it would hurt? Baby. The skull earrings, my good sir.”

While the employee was retrieving them, Tom whispered to Marco, “We don’t feel pain in certain areas. We already don’t feel it as much as humans, but the ears literally just can’t sense pain. They tend to get torn anyway over the years, it’s inevitable with the violence of our species, so not being able to feel that is a blessing.”

“That doesn’t seem good, I mean, what if it gets ripped and you don’t even notice?”

“I mean, you can still feel things happening to them. It just doesn’t hurt is all. Oh, turn around.”

Marco looked back at the counter and the employee reached out to unclip his old earring, and put in the new ones. Then he held up a mirror.

Marco admired the new pieces, nodding in approval. “I like them.”

“Good. And if you want to keep wearing that ruby, you can always just pierce your ear higher.”

Marco thought about it, then shrugged. “Why not?”

When they paid and left the store, his original earring was once again gleaming from his right ear, a little above the skull. They returned to the palace, and retired to their room.

Marco did some more reading, as did Tom, the two sitting together in companionable silence. At one point, Marco rested his head on the other’s shoulder.

“You’ll need to go do combat training tomorrow morning,” Tom said. “Mom’s orders. She really wants you to refine your skills.”

“Dang. Okay.”

“Are you still okay with this? I mean, it’s a lot of work and if you don’t want to go through all this every day, you can always duck out, I can make up some excuse.”

Marco shook his head. “I’ve come this far, haven’t I? I’m not quitting. I want to do this. For you.”

Tom inhaled, then put his book down, turning and hugging Marco close. He pressed his face to his neck, practically snuggling with him. “Thank you. I appreciate it, and if you ever need anything, please let me know.”

“I will.” Marco hugged him back, swathed in his warmth. They stayed there for quite some time, before finally separating, Tom brushing his hand through his hair.

“I’m sure it’s been a long day for you. Why don’t we go to sleep?” he asked.

Marco nodded. “Sounds good to me.” It was kinda early, but that was fine. They put their books aside, and Marco changed into his pajamas. Thankfully they were the ones that had once been a little big on him, and now they fit just fine. Then he climbed into bed with Tom, and the other ended up moving to lay behind him, arms wrapping around his waist. Both were utterly comfortable with this arrangement.


	10. Magic Block

Marco woke up a few hours before Tom’s alarm was set to go off, and stared blearily at the red numbers before turning and rolling closer to the other, who he had scooted away from at some point. He knew he was awake now because of how early he had gone to sleep, but he was fine with that. Now he could just look at Tom. The other was precious when he was asleep, face relaxed, the lines of stress gone from around his eyes. He slept silently, but his mouth gaped open slightly as he breathed, fangs visible.

It was so cute, and Marco watched him for a few moments before yawning and closing his eyes again, readjusting the covers over them. He was so comfortable, he never wanted to leave this bed.

Tom closed his mouth and shifted, but he didn’t wake up, instead just rolling onto his other side and nestling himself deeper into the covers, head turned just right so his horns weren’t in the way.

Marco envied his ability to do that. He leaned against him and gently set a hand on his waist. He was warm, as he had gone shirtless again tonight, and Marco idly felt along his side before just resting his hand on him, reassured by that small bit of contact as he fell asleep again.

This time, he didn’t wake up until the alarm went off. The screech startled him like it had the night before, but this time Tom woke up and grabbed onto him before he could bolt, laughing at the look on his face.

“Do I need to turn its volume down?” Tom asked.

Marco shook his head. “No, it’s just terrifying. Oh my God. Okay, so… Time for day two as a demon!”

“Day two!” Tom got up, and once Marco was up too, he came over to fix up his hair. “Yesterday was probably a bit crazy but today you know what to expect. And before you know it you’ll be into a routine and then we’ll be getting married and then we’re gonna be the king and lord of the entire Underworld!”

Marco grinned. “Can’t wait!”

They dressed and went to take on the day. And as promised, Marco did settle into a routine as the days passed. He learned hand to hand combat from Talamor, history and government from Clericus, and about poisons, curses, and magic in general from Archedon. Often he would get dragged along to do something else too, like when he went to the palace tailor to have his wedding and coronation outfits made. Or when he started joining in the rehearsals and weighing in on the preparations.

There was a day where he went to the military base Tom had told him about and he hung out with the basic trainees, who he ended up sparring with only to just barely manage to fend them off. They were tough, and he praised them for it. As he left, he could hear the instructors return to yelling at them and bossing them around, and he was so glad he wasn’t in the military.

As promised, Tom got Marco his high school diploma, and they managed to get away for a day to go to Earth and celebrate with his parents, and Marco was able to move all the belongings he wanted to the Underworld, while donating all his old clothes to a local thrift store. It was a little sad to say goodbye to everyone at school, but they understood, and while they did plenty of teasing about his situation, they were happy for him.

Marco excelled at combat training, especially when his soreness from the initial sessions wore off and he grew stronger. Other inhabitants of the palace would actually come by to watch him, and he was proud of himself for how far he has come.

His schooling went okay. He learned pretty quickly, and Clericus often forgave his trouble with history as long as he knew how to properly manage the kingdom in the present, which he did his best to learn. Half the time he was just given free reign of the library to research whatever he felt he needed more knowledge in, and he would just find something interesting and sit down to read it while the naga slithered between the shelves organizing things and reading from his own favorite books.

And magical training was by far Marco’s favorite. Once he was adequate in identifying harmful magic, he began pestering Archedon to teach him to use spells, and finally the mage agreed after three weeks. It wasn’t going to be much longer until the coronation, and Marco has become accustomed to his new body and life. He could feel the flow of energy around him at all times, and when his emotions intensified, no matter what they were, objects around him tended to react, shaking or floating. Once he even made a glass of wine explode during an argument with Christine at dinner. Tom had been stricken and Judas had let out a long whoop, and Marco had decided that he needed to learn to control this.

“Magic comes naturally to us,” Archedon said as he began the lesson. “But the ability to control it varies among users. Most demons have mastered the art of levitation if they are unable to fly. We can use the power of fire itself to transport us from place to place… Or travel through the shadows. And of course we have pyrokinetic abilities… Tom is very skilled in that regard.”

Tom was present at this lesson, wanting to be there for encouragement, and he gave a thumbs up.

“But we’ll see how you do,” Archedon said. “Everyone has something they’re good at. You will likely excel in a different magic from Tom. But let’s start with the basics. You’ve already demonstrated an ability to move objects with your thoughts when you become emotional. You just need to choose to move them.”

“Sure, sounds easy.” Marco wasn’t exactly sure how it worked. All he knew was that when he was angry, or really happy, some part of his mind that wasn’t there before seemed to push its way out while the emotion distracted him, and objects in his surroundings would suddenly move. The moment he tried to focus on it, everything would still. But with Archedon’s guidance, he learned how to intentionally channel that energy, and he was soon making objects float around the room with hardly any thought.

“You’re a natural,” Tom praised.

“Most demons can do this,” Marco replied.

“You aren’t like most demons.”

The comment made Marco blush. He kept his back to Tom, watching the items fly in circles, before setting them all down. It was like his surroundings just responded to his will. But he wanted to try something else.

About ten minutes later and he had gotten levitation down. And he loved it, darting about the room, laughing and doing flips.

“Honestly, Marco, you act like you've never levitated before,” Tom commented.

Marco chuckled, winking at him. He flew back down, stumbling and falling right into Tom's arms. The taller smiled and held him, playfully swinging him around. They have done a lot of bonding in the past few weeks, especially since they spent more time together as it got closer and closer to the coronation. They held hands a lot. Sometimes they kissed, but only in public, when they were expected to. But Marco still sometimes wished they could do it in private. He just wasn't sure how to go about asking.

Now, as he gazed at the other, he again considered the idea of actually dating him, thinking about how well they got along, how they were going to be together anyway, and the desire to kiss him was so strong. He cursed himself for being so bashful about it, he always got like this around people he had a crush on, even if it was someone he was friends with. He was too nervous and odds were Tom didn't even like him in the same way, he only thought of him as a friend. But maybe he could finally do something to move their relationship along.

Marco was about to make a move when Tom put him down and messed up his hair, and Marco batted his hands away. The moment was gone.

“You are a model student,” Archedon said. “You seem to have grasped the basics of magic, but there is a reason they are considered to be the basics. I will teach you how to wield fire, like Tom can.”

“Sure, bring it on,” Marco replied confidently. But despite how Archedon tried to explain it to him, he simply couldn't summon fire. He couldn't approach a flame and make it obey his command. He was still nearly immune to it, could stick his finger into a lit candle and not feel pain, but he didn't have any control.

“Looks like you aren't good at everything,” Archedon commented. “But it is nothing to be ashamed of. You have already made great strides in learning magic. We will find out why you have a block when it comes to pyrokinesis and we will overcome it. In the meantime, continue your work with the basics. Meditate and feel the ebb and flow of magic all around us. Allow it to pass through you and strengthen you. See if you can find your inner fire and bring it out.”

Marco nodded, and he was soon dismissed. As he and Tom walked through the palace, Tom explained fire magic to him in his own words, and tried to coach him through using it. He even grasped Marco's hands in his own, gently directing flames into his palms, but every time he let go, they would just go out.

“How odd,” Tom said quietly. “Nearly everyone I know can hold fire.”

“I'm not exactly normal, though,” Marco pointed out. “Maybe I just can't use fire.”

“I'm sure you can. It's just like the other magic. You just have to tap into it. The others came a little more easily to you but everyone has things they're good at. Heh, for example, nearly everyone in my family can overpower the minds of animals and compel them to do our bidding. But I didn't figure it out until I was twelve. Hell, I'm still not that good at it, but that's mostly because I prefer to get them to listen to me through training and kindness, not by forcing them. But what I can do is resurrection. You saw it when I brought Mackie Hand back. It's an incredibly difficult piece of magic that only becomes harder the longer they've been dead. I pretty much have to drag their soul kicking and screaming back from wherever it had gone since they died. Souls tend to drift apart after a while too. So it's very hard to do, and not many can. But I can. And my control over fire is pretty advanced too, even for a demon, heh.” He set his hand on Marco's back. “So don't worry if you can't make fire appear in thin air with your mind. You'll figure it out. I believe in you.”

“Thanks. But with how close the coronation is, I suppose I have other things to worry about anyway, huh?”

Tom chuckled, sliding his arm around him. “Oh yeah. We'll have all the time in the world to teach you magic once we're sworn in. For now, you're already learning so much. I don't know how you're doing it.”

“Determination,” Marco replied. “And... I don't know, it feels like it's easier to remember things now.”

“We have excellent memories. But still, you're meeting all my parents' standards. Well, most of them. They would still like for you to be rich. But they've totally gotten used to you now. Dad loves you, and Mom... well, I think she's just glad that you genuinely seem to like me and aren't just using me. She admitted to me that she was worried that if I did choose a suitor, they would end up stabbing me in the back and taking all my power. She doesn't have that worry with you, though.”

Marco snorted. “So she doesn't think I'm dangerous? I could totally be a backstabber.”

“Nah, you're way too cute for that.” Tom tickled him, making him laugh and shove him away. Tom laughed too. “She told me all about how she can see how much we love each other. She knows you aren't up to anything.”

Marco's smile faded a little. “How much we love each other. Heh, yeah.”

Tom took his hand. “We've really convinced everyone. No one doubts that we're madly in love. This is going to work out. I'm really glad I chose you.”

“I'm glad I said yes.” Marco looked at their hands, which clasped together so casually now, without really thinking about it. There was no one else around. It would be so easy to tell him what he wanted. Tom was his best friend, he wouldn't be upset if he told him how he felt. So why was it so hard for him to talk to him? What was he afraid of?

“You look like you're thinking hard. You do that a lot.”

Marco hunched his shoulders. “Oh, you know me. Always thinking about something.”

“Yeah, but when that something causes you to avoid eye contact and look worried, it makes me wonder. You've done it more and more often lately. Do you want to talk about it?”

“I...” Marco didn't know what to say. Tom knew. He knew that he was behaving oddly around him. “It's just that...” He told himself to just do it. Tell him the truth. He had nothing to lose and everything to gain. It would probably make him feel a lot better, the butterflies in his stomach were practically beating themselves against his insides. “I can't wait to be married. You know. And become your lord.” It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the truth he had wanted to say.

But Tom accepted it, nodding. “I can't wait either. We're going to be a magnificent pair.”

“Yeah, we are,” Marco agreed. His stomach hadn't settled in the slightest. When they got back to their room, Tom went to put a mark on his calendar while Marco pushed his attraction aside like he had unfortunately gotten used to doing recently.

“Nine days,” Tom said proudly. “Nine days, and then it's time.”

“I can't believe it's almost here,” Marco replied.

“Me neither. Oh, my whole life has been building up to this moment! It's kinda exciting but also pretty scary and I'm sure I'll feel a lot worse on the actual day but right now I'm mostly excited. The festivities are going to be so fun and all the decorations look perfect, I can't wait for everything, even the fledging. Oh, to get those strong wings in front of an adoring audience... It's gonna be great! What are you looking forward to?”

“The wedding,” Marco said honestly.

Tom gave him a curious look, and he didn't try to lie. “After all this time around each other, getting married would feel pretty natural.”

Tom laughed. “True. I'm really looking forward to that too.” He looked like he wanted to say something else, but chose not to. “So, bed?”

They had eaten dinner early and spent the evening at Archedon's today. So Marco was okay with going to sleep. He agreed and crawled in with Tom, the two naturally falling into the most comfortable cuddling position. Marco stroked Tom's side and came to a decision. If he hasn't confessed by the wedding, he would do so in his vows. He could hardly stand to hide the truth anymore. He has truly fallen in love with Tom, and he was more than ready to tell him so.


	11. Unusual Ability

It was a few days later when Marco finally had a magical breakthrough, but it wasn't what they were expecting.

He was in Archedon's study doing his usual practice, when the mage suggested he try meditation. He sat in a chair, just inwardly focusing, gripping a mug filled with a potion to help him relax and clear his mind. He had already drunk about half of the syrupy liquid and was in quite a drowsy state, hardly even noticing as Archedon and Tom talked quietly nearby.

He was able to feel the magic within himself, and has channeled it out into his surroundings on multiple occasions to cause objects or himself to levitate. He was even somewhat figuring out how to teleport, though he wasn't very good at it yet and last time he tried, one of his claws didn't go with him. He decided to hold off on that until he had a better grip on his magic. But now he experimented with it, allowing the magical energy to drift off and take whatever form it wanted. He wanted to know what all he was capable of.

For a few moments, nothing happened. Then Tom spoke more loudly, addressing him. “Marco, don't lose focus, but... open your eyes.”

Marco opened them partway. He saw a few objects idly floating a few centimeters in the air, but then his attention was drawn to the mug in his hands. The liquid was rising out and forming itself into a bubble. Intrigued, he set everything else down and focused on the potion alone. He removed it completely from its container, and with thought alone, caused it to form into various shapes.

“Could it be?” Archedon asked, stepping closer.

“He could be manipulating it like he would any other object,” Tom said.

“Lifting solids is simple. You lift one point of a solid, the rest will follow due to its chemical makeup. Lifting liquids, however, is an entirely different sort of magic. A liquid is fluid. It shifts and spreads. It takes a very certain talent to be able to manipulate it in its entirety and not have it just trickle away. Marco has a gift.”

Marco returned the potion to its mug and tilted his head. “Are you saying I'm a waterbender?”

Tom scoffed and turned away, covering his face as he tried to hide his laughter. Archedon just sighed, then nodded. “Pretty much.”

“Whoa. So... wait. Okay, hold on.” Marco got up, putting the mug down and taking a breath. He concentrated, and then lifted his hand, twisting his wrist around and gesturing, not fully sure if this would work but figuring it was worth a shot. To his surprise and delight, he could see tiny drops of water forming in the air, collecting together and growing, until he had a clear orb floating in front of him.

Tom turned back toward him. “How are you doing that?”

“I'm collecting water from the air,” Marco explained.

“We're in the Underworld! There is no water in this air!”

“No, not really.” Marco could hardly believe this was working. “There's a little though, from our own respiration and perspiration mostly. But there's also oxygen, and just the tiniest bit of hydrogen. Not enough to react with anything... normally. But I'm combining them at the molecular level. Which makes...?”

“Water,” Tom realized.

“Heck, I can actually... there's methane here too, right? Yeah, it seems kinda common, I've noticed the atmosphere is a little more explosive than usual. So...” Marco really had to think about this one, but he managed to summon even more water, and he grinned. “I can strip hydrogen from methane molecules and bond that to the oxygen too.”

Tom stared at him. “That's... wow. Archedon, have you ever heard of that technique?”

Even Archedon was impressed, watching with all three of his eyes. “I've known a few who could do it. But it takes vast mental control and a knowledge of chemistry. He is forcing the molecules to come together when otherwise they wouldn't. It is his will causing the bonding between them. Very impressive.”

“So science and magic aren't mutually exclusive,” Marco mused.

“Of course not,” Archedon said. “The more you know about one, the better you can use the other. Magic is just another form of energy, just one that can be commanded by the mind if you are disciplined enough to do so.”

Marco began directing the water through the air, letting it snake around the room, grinning as he got more confident in the ability.

“A hydrokinetic demon,” Archedon commented. “Very unusual. Some might say it conflicts with our very nature. But I'm pleased to see that he has found his talent. It is good for us to have diverse talents like this. I'm sure his ability will come in handy one day.”

“I don't know if there's much use for water in a place where everyone is fire resistant but it's still neat,” Marco said, still steadily creating more. He let it swirl above his head like a miniature whirlpool.

“You'll never go thirsty,” Tom pointed out.

Marco laughed. “True. Hey, do you think I can turn it into ice?”

They looked to Archedon.

“I don't see why not,” he replied. “Just... keep it over the center of the floor, please. I don't want you ruining my scrolls.”

Marco lowered the water to a spot just above the floor, slowly drawing his hands together and curling his fingers. The water stilled, and after a few moments, frosted over. He willed it to freeze, and it did, turning into a solid chunk of ice.

“Very good,” Archedon praised.

“Oh I totally have the best idea for Halloween,” Marco said.

Archedon began going through his books. “There aren't many books written on the subject of hydrokinesis, or at least, I don't have many. But if you would like some study material, I can provide it.”

“Sure.” Marco waved his hand and the ice dissipated, turning into steam and drifting off. He accepted some books and one very tattered and stained scroll from the mage, and they went through some exercises. Then he was released for the day.

He took the books to his room and went with Tom to dinner, where they told Judas and Christine all about his power.

“Hydrokinesis?” Christine asked, astonished. “Really?”

Marco proved it by lifting her tea right out of its cup and twirling it around before letting it splash back in. Then he pulled a sphere of water from thin air, froze it, and presented it to her.

She accepted it, looking at it closely before setting it on the table. “So you can control water. Interesting.”

“It's a rare talent among demons,” Tom said, taking Marco's hand. “But isn't it cool? He can control water, I can control fire... We've got a good balance going on!”

“Sure. Balance.” Christine regarded Marco with curiosity, then returned to her meal. “Well, at least he can wield more than just basic magic, I'll give him that.”

Judas was quite excited by the news. “Water magic! It'll be interesting to see how you use that in ruling the kingdom! Fire is destructive and powerful, and water is just... well it's hardly anything of substance at all!”

“Water makes up more than 70% of the surface of Earth,” Marco stated. “Water suffocates and drowns those who underestimate it. With enough time, water will erode away rock into ravines and the sharpest of stones into round pebbles. Water is what makes up the ocean, which is vast and more powerful than any army or kingdom could ever be. Water kills without discrimination and without guilt. I'd say it's got quite a lot of substance to it.”

Judas didn't have a response for that. He cleared his throat. “I suppose you're right. Water is a force to be reckoned with. So long as you're clever and patient with it.”

“I'm quite good at both those things,” Marco assured him.

Tom cast him a smile, squeezing his hand a little tighter. Marco smiled back and lifted his hand, kissing Tom's knuckles gently.

“You're going to be a great speaker once we're in charge,” Tom said. “The people will love you.”

“Heh, thanks.”

Once through with dinner, they escaped upstairs before anyone decided to ask them to do something. As they were climbing the staircase, Tom said, “Every day I'm reminded of what a great, smart person you are. I'm so glad we're getting married and honestly if I have to spend the rest of my life with you, that would be just fine by me.”

Marco blushed, heart beating faster. “Same here. I... I can see us staying together for a long time.” Just tell him. “I... I really do want to actually be in a relationship with you. After spending all this time together, I've really... grown to like you. I mean I already liked you, of course, but... it's gotten stronger. You're... handsome, and smart, and caring... yeah you've made some big mistakes and done a lot of bad stuff in the past, but... you're always working to improve yourself and I respect that so much about you. I...” He swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut, and then opening them to find that Tom had gotten in front of him, and he abruptly stopped.

Tom was on the step just above his, so he was several inches higher than usual. But he knelt, leaning in and slowly running the side of his hand along Marco's cheek. His expression was unreadable. “You don't need to explain. I understand.”

It was hard to breathe all of a sudden. Marco simultaneously wanted to put his hands on Tom's waist and turn and bolt. He stumbled over his next words. “Y-you do?”

“Yeah. Honestly, the reason I chose you... yeah, you're my best friend and I knew we would get along, but... I also did it because of the chance that we would grow closer. I wanted us to truly fall in love. And... looks like we did. At least, I fell for you.” Tom's fingers slid down Marco's neck, and Marco made up his mind, setting his hands on Tom's sides. “I fell hard.”

“You did? Oh man, I... I didn't know, I didn't bring up how I felt because I figured you didn't want anything more, but... you feel the same as me!”

Tom's other hand dropped to Marco's back, pulling him up to stand on the same step as him so there was less height disparity. He gazed at him warmly, face flushed and teeth nibbling nervously at his lips, but he was smiling. “Most likely. But it depends... how do you feel about me?”

Marco leaned in closer, staring at Tom's beautiful eyes before saying, “I love you.”

Tom lowered his eyelids, gaze dropping to Marco's mouth. “I love you too.”

Then he was kissing him, more firmly and passionately than ever before. This wasn't like those light kisses he would give him in public to convince people they were together. This was electrifying, sending a thrill down Marco's spine and flooding his system with heat. He eagerly kissed back, wrapping his arms around the other and tilting his head, pressing in closer.

When they separated, they stared at each other before giggling, resting their foreheads together.

“Wow,” Marco said.

“Yeah, way better than the other ones,” Tom said. “Each time I'd kiss you, I wanted to make it like this. So... that was nice.”

“Really nice.” Marco didn't want to let go of him, so he didn't. “I was going to tell you everything in my vows, when we got married, but... well, at least we settled this now.”

“Yeah. It's... nice to talk about this.” Tom hesitated, then kissed him again. This time, he picked him up and carried him the rest of the way up the stairs. Marco closed his eyes, just enjoying the warmth of Tom's lips against his, fingers carding through his hair.

“Five days,” Marco whispered. “Five days, and then we're in charge.”

“Yeah. I can't wait,” Tom murmured, trailing his kisses down to his throat. Marco leaned his head back, absolutely content with the situation. He finally confessed. And it had gone wonderfully.

They got to their room and Tom set him down so he could open the door. They held hands as they walked in, and Marco retrieved a book on hydrokinesis to read while Tom sat at his desk and opened his laptop, browsing through a few sites.

After a few minutes, Tom seemed to grow bored and just got up, going to join Marco on the bed. He laid next to him, snuggling up and resting a hand on his arm. Marco leaned against him, unable to help pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

Tom returned it, then yawned and closed his eyes. “I'm gonna go to sleep. Is my alarm on?”

Marco glanced over. “Yeah.”

“Good.” Tom settled down, and Marco used a hand to pet his hair. Slowly the other fell asleep, and Marco propped the book up on his knees and began using his free hand to try a few spells with water. It came easily to him, and he was proud of himself for figuring it out. But there was much more to it than he expected, and some of it was a bit too complicated to attempt while laying on his back in bed. So he put the book aside and rolled to the side, tucking his head under Tom's chin. It was comfortable, and as he drifted off, he felt Tom rest his arms around him. He was so glad he finally confessed.


	12. Going Out

The next few days were more hectic than ever. And on top of that, Marco really had to put Archedon's lessons to use in avoiding being poisoned or cursed. It hadn't been that bad at first but now that it was becoming increasingly obvious that he was going to be marrying Tom, and there wasn't going to be a change of plans, the citizens of the Underworld who disliked him were stepping up their attempts to get rid of him. But he went almost everywhere with Tom and he was able to avoid getting hurt. His cautious nature came in handy here, and more than once he was actually the one pulling Tom from a dangerous situation and getting them away.

Marco didn't mind how busy things were or how much he was risking. It was worth it to be with Tom. They held hands or rested their arms around each other nearly constantly, cuddled as they fell asleep, and whenever they had free time, they were usually holed up in their room, just enjoying being alone together. They would talk for hours if allowed to, and once they finally did run out of things to talk about for the time being, they were perfectly content to just read together or watch movies, eating popcorn and telling dumb jokes about the media in question, just like they did when they were younger. Only now there was kissing involved. That was arguably the best part.

Things were stressful but they were happy and that wasn't going to change.

Next thing they knew, it was going to be tomorrow. The day they’ve been preparing for. Their wedding. The coronation. It was so exciting and they spent the day in a state of anticipation. They had nothing on their schedules today for once, instead relaxing so they’ll be well rested for tomorrow.

They ended up just sleeping in until nearly noon, all nice and comfortable under the covers with each other, Marco asleep for longer while Tom spent about an hour just stroking his hair and watching him, so content he could just stay here forever.

But finally Marco got up, yawning and saying he was hungry. So Tom took him out to eat.

“We have food at the palace,” Marco said as they rode through town.

“I know, but sometimes it’s just nice to get out and eat somewhere else. Trust me, you’ll like this place.” Tom spent most of the ride leaning out of the window and watching the sights, waving to people and exchanging quick words with whoever felt like jogging along next to the carriage. Marco joined him in this, wanting to make a good impression on everyone, though they should know him pretty well by now. Still, he'll take all the support he could get. He kept an eye out though, always vigilant, knowing how dangerous it was for him to be out in public right now. He wouldn’t be surprised if someone tried to kill him just for daring to stick his head out of the carriage.

But they got to the restaurant with no problems, and they went inside and were quickly seated.

“Our special today is broiled sea cucumber,” the server told them as they consulted the menus. “Fresh from the Earth’s Dead Sea. What would you like to drink?”

Marco still wasn’t sure what most of the drink options were in most Underworld restaurants, as they were often written in demonic languages, and he didn’t know how to ask. So he just said, “Uh, do you have Coke?”

“Pepsi okay?”

Marco muttered under his breath and then said, “Sure.”

Tom snorted and said, “Ichor please, I’m feeling a little adventurous.”

“So early?” the server chuckled as he wrote it down. “An excellent choice, sir Tom. I’ll have your drinks right out.” He walked off.

“Some things never change,” Tom said. “Whether it’s Earth or the Underworld… sometimes you just gotta drink Pepsi instead of Coke.”

“Heh, yeah.” Marco kept reading the menu. “So… When you said ichor, did you mean like… legit ichor, like actual golden blood of the gods ichor?”

Tom smiled. “It isn’t literal god’s blood… Not in a place like this. The name is just inspired by it. Now you can get a hold of ichor but it’s really dangerous and that stuff can burn you apart if you drink too much. I tried it once. Whew, it was intoxicating stuff. I felt so powerful before I crashed and slept for like a day.”

“Hm. Wouldn’t mind trying that.” Marco had no clue what to pick from the menu, there were all sorts of items and there didn’t seem to be a common theme between them. “Hey, uh… You wanna like, get a pizza to share?”

“I don’t know if you’d like the pizza down here,” Tom said. “It’s goat cheese, and the crust tends to have crushed beetle mixed in for flavor. And the topping options? Lamb sausage, frog legs, and the like.”

“Well, I have gotten less picky since becoming a demon,” Marco reasoned. “There’s always weird food at the table other than the usual stuff, and I’ve tried a lot of it… Most wasn’t so bad. My tastes have changed. Also, look.” He pointed at the menu. “They offer pepperoni here. I’ll just get that, maybe put the lamb on half? Since you like lamb.”

“Sure, sounds good to me.”

When they received their drinks, they placed the order for the pizza, and Marco began checking out the dessert menu, planning on getting some cake or something when they finished the pizza.

As usual, Marco sniffed his drink and considered the scent very closely, making sure it wasn’t poisoned. He has received spiked drinks before in public, and by now knew to check everything. He was so thankful for Archedon's training.

He couldn’t smell anything, but he wasn’t willing to rule it out. They were very close to the coronation, after all. He dipped his finger into it and licked it off, then wiped his finger clean with a napkin. He held the liquid on his tongue, checking by taste. Still nothing, so he allowed himself to swallow.

Across from him, Tom was casually doing the same with his alcoholic drink, but he was much quicker at it and was soon drinking it properly.

When Marco didn’t feel any effects, he decided his soda was safe and took a drink.

They discussed tomorrow while waiting for their pizza, and out of boredom Marco began folding a napkin into a crane. Tom quickly joined in, though he turned his own napkin into a heart.

“Didn’t you take up origami as part of your anger management?” Marco asked him.

“Yep. I learned to make all kinds of things. It’s pretty therapeutic. You can’t hurt a piece of paper, so if you mess up, you can always try again. It’s not that easy with people.”

“Yeah.” Marco levitated the crane, making it float around their table. Tom, meanwhile, kissed the paper heart and then handed it to him.

Marco accepted it, and the crane flitted over to land on Tom’s shoulder.

“You like it? Haven’t done a heart in a while,” Tom chuckled.

Marco smiled and said, “It’s nice, just one problem.”

“What?”

Marco regarded the heart, then held it to his chest. “It’s pretty fucking gay.”

Tom laughed and threw a balled up napkin at him. “You’re pretty fucking gay.”

“I know, that’s why I’m marrying you.”

“Same!” Tom made a slap at his hand, and Marco playfully slapped back, before laughing and shaking his head.

“You’re such a dork.”

“Right back at you.”

Marco leaned across the table to kiss him, and Tom happily responded. It was so nice doing this because they wanted to, and not because the public expected it. No doubt they were still being noticed by the other customers but they didn't really care.

When they separated, Marco saw him blushing, breathing hard. He wasn't doing much better. Kissing Tom like that still sometimes left him breathless.

“You’re so cute,” Marco said.

Tom immediately protested, “I am not cute, I am a terrifying demon, soon to be king of the-”

“Practically a kitten,” Marco insisted. “You’re so adorable.”

Tom scoffed and took a drink. He always tried to refuse Marco's compliments. “Ridiculous. I am not.”

“Liar.”

They bickered playfully for a few minutes, and Tom pretended to be aloof, though he was clearly pleased by the praise.

Eventually Marco got up and moved around to sit on the same side of the table as Tom, pulling him into his arms. Public displays of affection didn’t bother demons at all, so he felt comfortable holding him like this in the middle of a restaurant.

“Marco,” Tom giggled, pretending to struggle.

Marco nuzzled his neck, pressing tiny kisses to it. “You’re so handsome and smart, I’m so lucky to be marrying you.”

“Oh, quit it,” Tom said, but he wasn’t fighting anymore.

“No, I mean it. You’re the best.” Marco whispered into his ear, “I’m so happy we’re together.”

“You're so sappy,” Tom said, but he was grinning.

“So are you, when you're not trying to act cool,” Marco replied.

“Pft. Whatever, Diaz.” Tom pushed his face away, but he was gentle about it.

After a few moments, Marco moved back over to his side of the table, but they kept flirting, batting their eyelashes at each other from across the table, laughing at how unnecessary this was. But it was fun.

The pizza finally arrived, and they inhaled its delicious aroma, mouths watering. Tom took a slice with lamb meat on it, and Marco decided to try one too. It was pretty decent, but he didn’t like the lamb much. He decided to stick to the simple pepperoni side. As Tom had said, the cheese was a bit off, and the crust was a little too crunchy and had an additional, interesting flavor to it. But it wasn’t bad, and he grew to like it once he got used to it.

Marco was halfway through his second slice when a sharp taste registered, but he had already swallowed. He yanked the slice back and sniffed it, but couldn’t find anything suspicious. Yet he knew he had just swallowed something he shouldn’t have.

“Tom?” he warned in a low voice.

“What?” Tom asked.

Marco grimaced at a pang in his stomach, glancing around the restaurant. He caught someone watching him from the door to the kitchen before quickly ducking out of view.

“I think… The pizza is poisoned,” Marco said quietly. “I tasted something bad, and… My stomach hurts. It feels queasy.”

“Oh no.” Tom stared at the food, then got up and came around to help Marco up. “Are you sure?”

“Y-yes, tasted bad, like acid.”

“I didn’t even notice anything…” Tom checked over the entire pizza himself, coming up with nothing.

In the meantime, Marco felt like electricity was running through his limbs, causing them to twitch and jerk, and his stomach churned. His heart gave a particularly painful throb that made him gasp. He shoved himself away from the table and stood, hyperventilating, and one of the uncontrollable muscle movements resulted in him accidentally hitting Tom with his arm. Tom ignored it, supporting him as they hurried out.

Marco was in pain by the time they got to the carriage, but as he was climbing in, their server from earlier ran out yelling that they didn’t pay.

“Someone in the kitchen poisoned my fiance!” Tom yelled back. “You’re not getting anything from me!” He hopped in, pulled Marco in, and slammed the door shut. The skeleton horse immediately took off running back to the palace, sensing the urgency of the situation.

“T-Tom, it hurts,” Marco said weakly, vision fading in and out. He couldn’t stop convulsing, and he huddled on his side, trying to keep himself still. His stomach was burning, the pain spreading through him as minutes passed, his heart occasionally skipping beats. He was coughing violently. Then his stomach heaved and he threw up without warning.

Tom scrambled back to avoid getting vomit on him, but moved around to kneel next to him, rubbing his back. He tried hard not to look at the bloody mess on the floor.

Marco kept shaking, but he felt slightly better now. His heart had settled, at least. But slowly he found himself stilling, body growing numb. “Tom…” he whined.

“I’m right here,” Tom assured him. “Hold on, we’re almost back. Just… Let me try something first.” He got up and crossed to a cabinet, opening it and retrieving some bottles. He brought them to Marco and gave him one. “Drink this.”

Marco fumbled and dropped it; he couldn’t feel his fingers. Tom picked it up and uncapped it, holding it to Marco’s mouth so he could drink. He shuddered at the taste, but swallowed it.

A few moments passed with no response, and then Marco groaned. “I don’t think it did anything.”

“This was a basic antidote. If we couldn’t smell this and could barely taste it, then…” Tom frowned at the other bottles, and handed him one with a minty liquid in it that was more pleasant going down.

Marco sighed, leaning against him. “I feel… Kinda better, but… I’m so tired.”

“You can’t fall asleep. Not until we know that stuff is cured.” Tom went through the antidotes he had, wondering what exactly was hurting Marco. There are poisons that are hard to detect, he’s encountered them before, but the mint infusion should have cured it.

“Why aren’t you poisoned too?” Marco asked.

Tom stared at him, then admitted, “I don’t know.”

“Maybe… Maybe the poison was only in a single slice. They could have put it in a single pepperoni. Since I didn’t taste it until I was partway through one piece.”

“Could have. That was… ingenious if that was what they did.”

“Please don’t compliment the person who tried to kill me.”

“What, it is clever. Come on, stay with me, how do you feel?”

Marco grunted. “It still hurts.”

Tom stroked his hair. He hated being helpless. All he could do was comfort Marco and try to keep him awake as he faded out, eyes glazing over. He could only pray they got back fast enough.


	13. What it Takes

Tom tried a few more antidotes and even a spell during the trip back, but nothing worked. Marco's condition remained the same, and his eyes kept falling shut. Tom had to shake his shoulders to get him to open his eyes again. Even then, Marco couldn't focus on him. His eyes just seemed to look right through him.

“I can’t do anymore here,” Tom said at last. “I’m gonna have to take you to Archedon. Oh, if only I had my wings now…”

“You can teleport,” Marco said.

Tom froze, then growled and slapped his own forehead. “Right, of course, I’m so sorry, I panicked…” Tom got up and lifted him in his arms, and as soon as the carriage screeched to a stop, he leaped out and was consumed with fire, having it transport them straight to Archedon. The mage was startled by their appearance, but showed concern when he realized Tom was crying.

“What happened?” he asked.

“We went out to eat and Marco got poisoned!” Tom shouted. “This has never happened before, I always notice poison, and he has too, I don’t know why we didn’t notice this one, but it’s really bad, he was convulsing earlier and he threw up, but he isn’t moving much now, I think he’s numb…”

Archedon approached them, setting his hand on Marco’s forehead and running down, settling with it over his stomach. “The poison contained a toxin that targets the nerves and causes them to seize up, with the intent to stop the heart. But he survived that, by… well, judging by the smell, he threw up a lot of the poison. But some of it still burned through his stomach and entered the bloodstream. It caused a lot of damage already and can kill him if we don’t neutralize it.”

“Do you know what exactly it is?”

“Of course I do, and it's nearly impossible to detect and lethal in small doses. It is not easy or cheap to make. Someone really wanted you dead, Marco.”

“Yay,” Marco muttered. He felt faint.

“He’s been lightheaded,” Tom said worriedly as he carried Marco up the stairs to the first loft, where Archedon began looking through his collection of potions. “Is that bad?”

“He’s bleeding internally, no doubt. But he’ll live. If I find this potion in time.”

Tom spoke to Marco, trying to keep him awake, but Marco was finding it hard to pay attention. He was so cold. He could barely move. His eyelids were heavy, and they slowly drifted shut as he considered going to sleep. Some part of him felt relief that at least he couldn't feel pain anymore.

Tom’s voice faded away, replaced by unintelligible droning. Marco was falling into a dark pit.

Something smooth and cool touched his lips, smelling like chocolate and warmth, but he didn’t react. He just couldn’t.

Fingers pried his mouth open, and liquid was poured in. He didn’t fight, just instinctively swallowing, then gagging when it didn’t taste near as good as it smelled.

But heat flooded his body, wiping away the numbness so fast that the return of sensation was like needles against his skin. He jerked, coughing and opening his eyes, and was gently laid down on a bed.

Marco blinked at the two, vision clearing, and Tom wrapped him into a hug.

“My mouth tastes like nightmares,” Marco commented.

“That is one of the side effects,” Archedon replied, cleaning up. “You can only have this antidote sparingly because of how potent it is, it literally scours everything from your bloodstream but the bare essentials, but I had no choice but to use it. You would have died otherwise. Just make sure you eat well after this to get your strength back, alright?”

“What was that?” Tom asked. “What exactly poisoned him?”

“It goes by many names depending on who brews it, but it’s known as the silent death. Due to being easily missed when consumed, but luckily, Marco’s training tipped him off and he stopped before eating any more. Twice the current amount in his system probably would have killed him.”

Marco cleared his throat, trying to get the taste of that antidote and bile out of his mouth. “That would have been unfortunate. But I’m okay. I feel better.”

“I’ll find out who tried to hurt you, and I will kill them,” Tom promised him.

“Thanks,” Marco said, too worn out to feel like arguing with him. After that experience, he wanted whoever did it dead too. Even after being essentially 'cured', he still couldn't quite get up on his own, and Tom had to carry him out, endlessly thanking Archedon for his help.

Marco wasn't up for walking until they were nearly to their room, and even then, he had to lean heavily on Tom. His strength was returning slowly, and he took a long shower, just relaxing and letting himself recover. Once he was strong enough to manipulate the water raining down on him, he decided he was alright again.

But he was still shaky for the rest of the day. Sometimes he would get an odd muscle spasm and have to make up an excuse if someone saw. Since he had barely gotten to eat at the restaurant and had just thrown it all up anyway, he tried eating lunch in the dining hall. Archedon had wanted him to eat too. Unfortunately, he only made it partway through the pasta dish Tom set in front of him. Despite it being one of his favorites, he just couldn't finish. His stomach kept churning and he felt nauseous.

Tom's parents picked up on his discomfort, asking him what was wrong.

“Nerves,” he lied, and they accepted it. Judas launched into an advice-laden speech about having courage and Christine went back to eating. Marco tuned out the king, picking at his food for a few minutes longer, before getting up. He muttered a barely coherent explanation about needing to go look something up, and hurried out. Tom followed him, and Marco took his hand before heading to the library.

“Wanna do some reading?” Tom asked.

“Yeah. People want to try to kill me just because they think I won't be a good leader? I'll show them. I'll prove I have what it takes.”

“Don't burn yourself out. You've learned a lot this past month and you need to take some time to just let it sink in. Besides, after earlier, you need some rest.”

“I'm fine.” Marco didn't let him talk him out of it, entering the library and retrieving the usual huge tomes that he studied from, which were too big to easily take with him back to his room. He dropped them onto a table and sat down to read. The words kept blurring and it was hard to focus, but he was determined to learn more.

Tom gave him a worried look as he pulled a chair over to sit next to him. “Let me know if you want to talk. Okay?”

“Mhm.” Marco wasn't sure why he was so intent on studying right now. Maybe that experience had proved to him how serious things were. If he didn't impress the kingdom, he was going to be killed. Despite all his training, some clever demon had slipped something past him. He could only imagine the lengths they would start going to once he was in power. He had to be ready.

Tom stayed with him the whole time, resting a comforting hand on his knee, watching him and not speaking unless Marco asked him a question. He wasn't sure what to say and figured he'd give Marco some space.

But as the hours passed Marco just couldn't stay focused on the book. He kept closing his eyes, drifting off before snapping awake again, and he was still a lot weaker than he would have liked. He felt a little more at ease now though, safe with Tom's presence beside him, and he turned to give him a kiss.

“Sorry for being rude,” he said. “I'm just... not feeling good.”

“You're not being rude. I understand, I... I've nearly died from poison too. Didn't want to mention it, but... it has happened to me too. Sure, it was a long time ago, but... I've gone through this. It sucks. You feel powerless, weak, paranoid. You're on edge, watching for anything or anyone that might hurt you again. It takes a long time to recover from that sort of thing.”

“That's part of it, but... I'm mostly just upset that there are enough people that find it acceptable to do that to someone. Just because you don't like their politics, just because you think they might not rule in the way you want them to... that's not worth killing someone over. Almost nothing is worth actually killing another person.” Marco shook his head, closing the book. “It's not right.”

“I know. It isn't, but... demons don't change easily. So many of them cling to the ancient ways.” Tom stroked Marco's cheek. “There's only so much we can do to change their minds. All we gotta do is hope that we inspire people to be different, and that the stubborn ones eventually die off and stop passing along their harmful ideals.”

“The Underworld really isn't so different from Earth, huh?”

Tom smiled. “It really isn't. More magic and violence, but other than that... it's a very similar place.” When Marco was quiet, he took his hands. “I don't want you to try to change yourself to be what everyone else wants you to be. I just want you to be yourself. I want you to do things your way.”

Marco let out a humorless chuckle. “I've already changed to be what they want me to be.” Tom's eyes flicked up to his horns for a moment, and Marco continued, “But yeah, you're right. I... I shouldn't be trying to do things their way. They need to see that our way of ruling will work. They need to see just how beneficial it is when you're kind and understanding to others, when you make decisions that are fair, instead of ones that just bring you more power. It shouldn't be about power. It should be about making sure everyone has safe and happy lives. At least, as much as they realistically can have. We aren't going to be able to fix everything, but... I'm going to try to, and I want to be respected for it.”

Tom squeezed his hands. “That's all anyone could ask of us. You understand what it is to be a king better than any of those people who would try to hurt you. Please don't let their actions get to you, okay?”

“Okay.” Marco looked down at the desk for a few moments, then said, “I... I think I want to go to bed.”

“Really? But it's so early and we just got up not too long ago.”

“I know, but I'm really tired. It's... been a rough day. You don't have to go to sleep too, but I'm going to.”

“No, it's fine, I'll come with you.”

They went to their room and Marco burrowed into the covers, and Tom got in there with him, curling up around him and kissing him softly.

“I’m sorry about what happened today,” Tom said sadly. “I should have paid attention…”

“What could you have done? That stuff was like… impossible to detect. I was lucky that I just barely managed to taste it. Let’s not think about it, let’s just… rest.”

“Okay, love.”

Marco smiled, recalling all their silly flirting right before that near death experience. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Thanks for saving my life.”

“No problem. You’d do the same for me.”

“Well… I don’t know about that.”

Tom pushed him. “Jerk.”

Marco prodded him. “Sure am.”

Tom held him closer, sighing out quietly. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I don’t know what I would have done if I had lost you.”

“Gotten yelled at by your parents for losing your fiance, probably. And then they would have made you marry some random duchess.”

Tom snorted. “Yeah, probably.”

“But no point thinking about ifs. I lived. That’s all that matters.” Marco yawned, drifting off to sleep. “Goodnight.”

It was only about five PM. Tom had no plans of going to sleep, not when there was at least one demon out there who would shortly be regretting their entire existence. But he said goodnight back and snuggled with Marco, not letting go until he had fallen asleep. Then he slipped out of his hold, made sure he hadn't woken up, and went to pull on a change of clothes.

After sliding his sharpest knife into his pocket, he headed out.


	14. Revenge

A thought and a flash of fire, and Tom was at the restaurant that had tried to kill them. Maybe the person who did it wasn't even still around. But he was going to check anyway. He went through the front door, saying to the hostess, “I need to go check out something in the kitchen.”

She had been here earlier when he rushed Marco out, so she nodded and didn't try to stop him. Tom stalked through the crowded restaurant, hardly noticing as people fell silent to watch him. News of any public assassination attempts tended to spread quickly, so they already knew why he was here.

He kicked open the door to the kitchen. Everyone stopped in their tracks, but just to make sure, he yelled, “Under order of the prince, everyone stop what you're doing right now!”

There were clatters as people literally dropped whatever they were holding. One server looked extremely distressed by this, and he told her she could pick it up, but he leveled a glare at everyone else.

“What is the meaning of this?” a nearby cook asked, still stirring a pot. “We've got a full house out there and dozens of meals to make!”

“You can get back to your cooking soon, but I'm here to get some answers.” Tom closed the door behind him and stood in front of it, making sure he knew where everyone in the room was. “About five hours ago, my fiance was poisoned in this restaurant. I want to know who did it.” When no one answered, his fist caught on fire and he slammed it down on a counter, smashing a dent into it and knocking a pan flying. Everyone jumped. “ _Who did it?_ ”

There were murmurs, and then someone said, “M-my prince, we don't know, there are many employees here, anyone could have slipped something into the food... or someone could have snuck in, it gets so hectic...”

Tom took a breath, trying to calm himself before he hurt someone. “We ordered two drinks and a pizza. Our drinks were fine. The pizza itself was also fine. I ate a slice from my side, he had one, nothing. It was only when he started eating one meant for him that he noticed poison. Which means someone not only hung around before we ordered to figure out what we were eating, they then intentionally poisoned only the part that he would be eating. Which leads me to believe it was one of the servers. Or possibly a server working with a cook. So, who did it?”

There was no answer.

Growing impatient, Tom raised his hand and blasted a fireball across the room, hitting a cabinet and hurling ingredients everywhere. There were startled screams, but the fire itself wouldn't be intimidating to most of them. So he took out his knife to ensure they got the message. “I'm getting really _fucking_ tired of this. I'm going to start interrogating each and every one of you until someone-”

“Okay, I think I know who did it!” the waitress who had been upset by dropping her plates shouted. He looked at her and she trembled, but said, “I... I didn't participate, I was... I was waiting to take a dish out to a customer earlier and I saw your pizza once it was finished. Just before your server came to get it, one of the other employees slipped by and put a single pepperoni on it. I didn't think much of it at the time, I figured it had just been forgotten, you know there is supposed to be a certain ratio and all but...” She cleared her throat and said, “Anyway, I think they poisoned your fiance.”

Tom was in front of her in seconds. “Who was it?” he said urgently.

She swallowed, and raised a shaky hand, pointing behind him. “Him.”

Tom looked in time to see someone with a forked tail dart out the kitchen door. He swore and turned to run after him. By the time he made it through the door, the other was partway through the restaurant. He sprinted faster than he could ever remember going before, leaping over tables in his haste, and caught up to him as he was opening the front door, which had slowed him down due to it opening inward. Tom plowed into him, slamming him against the glass hard enough to shatter it.

Seizing the other by the hair, Tom smashed his face against the floor, not caring that he was pushing him into broken glass, and dug the tip of the knife into his neck. “You piece of shit!”

The demon struggled; he was slightly shorter than Tom and much skinnier. He didn't stand a chance. “Wh-what are you doing?”

“Don't act innocent, you tried to kill my fiance! You poisoned his food, he almost died!” Tom's vision had turned red. He didn't bother trying to get a hold of himself. “Scum like you don't deserve any mercy.”

“Y-you don't have any proof,” the other snarled, trying to push himself up.

“One of the servers pointed you out. I'm gonna trust her judgment, she seemed scared to speak against you. Makes me wonder what you've been saying.”

One of the nearby customers said, “I've had him serve me before, I've heard him complaining a lot about Marco these past few weeks.”

Others chimed in with similar claims.

Tom hauled the man up, and glanced over his shoulder at the manager of the restaurant, who was quite livid. “I'll send someone to fix your door, free of charge, and will even compensate you for this employee. But you're not getting him back after what he did to my partner.”

“You think you can just barge in here and-”

“Whatever you're about to say, yes. Yes, I can.” Tom felt the other try to kick him and wrestled with him, squeezing his throat until he was wheezing. When he set the blade of his knife against his throat, he finally stilled. “What's this employee's name?”

After a few moments, the manager spat, “Craig.”

“Really? Mm, okay, well... Craig and I are going to have a nice, long chat outside. Consider him no longer employed with this establishment.” Tom had a reputation to uphold. He didn't want anyone to see what he was about to do, though they seemed to figure it out just fine, as they turned back to their tables, talking in hushed voices. Tom dragged Craig outside and teleported with him. They reappeared in the palace dungeon, near one of the deepest and coldest cells.

There was always a dungeon master awake and ready to be called upon. With a snap of the fingers, Tom summoned him, and shoved Craig into his arms. “This man tried to kill Marco. Make him regret it.”

Craig finally showed fear as the huge demon grabbed him. “W-wait, no!”

“Don't waste your breath begging,” Tom sneered, watching as he was pulled into the cell and his wrists chained to the wall. “You're a piece of shit and you will suffer.”

The dungeon master planted a fist into Craig's gut, knocking the breath out of him. He screamed once he recovered, and the next fist hit his chest. The small demon had no way of resisting with his arms bound as they were, and all he could do was stamp his feet desperately at the ground and try to twist out of the way, but he could never get far. He was soon bloody and bruised, clothes torn by the other's rough knuckles, begging to be let go.

Tom stood unflinchingly nearby, watching with dark eyes. “No.”

“You're really mad at this one,” the dungeon master observed. “But I don't blame you. I would do the same to someone who tried to hurt the love of my life. Would you like a turn?”

“Yes. You're dismissed. I'll take over from here.”

That was met with some surprise, but he was obeyed. “Let me know when you're done, Master Tom, so that I may lock the door behind you.” He left.

Tom regarded Craig, then stepped up to him, still holding the knife. He idly ran his thumb along the back of it. He couldn't stroke the blade on this one like he usually did; it was so sharp that even that could cut him. It has been a long time since he could remember hurting someone like this. But Craig deserved it. Tom hasn't felt this angry in years. Was it because he was protective over Marco? Or was there more to it?

He wasn't sure, but he couldn't think about it now. He had to punish this insolent citizen. The smaller quivered under his intent gaze, and Tom finally moved. He shoved his hand against his throat, lowering the knife to Craig's shirt. Plain, typical of restaurant employees. He easily tore it open, cutting until he had removed enough fabric to expose his stomach.

“P-please, your majesty, I'll do whatever you want, just let me go,” Craig pleaded.

“No. You don't deserve freedom. You were going to kill Marco. That was your intent. You deserve no less than death.” Tom heard him gulp, and a twisted smile curled his lips. “But I won't kill you.” He waited for him to sigh with relief, before saying, “I'll just make you wish you were dead.”

Craig squeaked with fear. “A-are you even the real prince, you've never acted like this before, I-I didn't know you had it in you!”

“I don't usually get like this. But those who have tried to hurt me know all about it, they just don't live to tell the tale. And you did worse. You tried to hurt not me, but the person I love. So just take a few moments to think about all the horrible things I'm going to do to you. Down here, no one will ever hear you scream.” Tom knew deep down that getting revenge like this wouldn't solve anything, but for some reason it was hard to think straight. His thoughts were buried in an angry buzz and his body seemed to ache with tension, especially high in his back. He put it out of mind and traced the very tip of the knife along Craig's cheek. “Everyone knows what happens to attempted assassins. But they rarely get to see all the handiwork that goes into the punishment. I think I'll make sure everyone knows exactly what was done to you. Maybe I won't make it known that I did it. But people will know, and maybe they'll hesitate to pull something that stupid again.”

Craig seemed to have broken down, just sobbing and writhing in his chains, eyes squeezed shut.

“Pathetic. You wanted Marco dead so bad that you brewed one of the most advanced poisons in existence yet you didn't think of the consequences. And now you're crying like a little bitch in my dungeon. You sicken me.” Tom pushed the knife forward, just enough to leave a nick on the other's cheek. It wasn't too deep, but like a paper cut, it stung fiercely. He pulled it back and the skin stuck to the blade for a moment before separating from it. Blood ran down the other's face, and he jerked back.

Tom took a moment to try and compose himself. He failed. Overcome with anger, he drove the knife into Craig's gut. It was deep enough that it probably would have killed a human, and from his training he knew that he had it impaled in the other's liver.

But Craig was a much more resilient demon, and he howled in agony and thrashed, which only tore the wound further open. Tom breathed shallowly as blood ran down the knife and onto his hand. This wasn't right, he has been working for years on his anger management, he shouldn't be doing this... He was ruining all his progress. What would Marco think?

That gave him pause. Marco would be horrified by this. Then again, didn't Marco say earlier that he wanted the guy who poisoned him dead? Maybe it was just the pain talking, but... Tom shook his head, focusing on the situation again. He didn't have to tell Marco the details.

He twisted the knife. Blood poured out. He thought to himself that he would feel better once this was over. He's done this before. It wasn't going to have a negative effect on him. Just... business.

Tom pulled the knife out, making sure he left the organs inside. He wiped the blade off on Craig's side, listening to his wordless cries. “You'll remember this, won't you? Not that it'll do you much good... you won't be able to get out of here to try that again anyway. But you'll make a fine example for others.” He flayed chunks of skin off the other, constantly switching spots to make him terrified as to where he would cut next, watching the almost mesmerizing way blood streamed down his body.

Once he noticed that Craig was started to fade out of consciousness, he decided to move on. He began carving a word into the other's stomach, not deep enough to reach organs, but just far enough to scar.

He was just finishing up the last letter when Craig found his voice. It was weak, choked with sobs, but he managed to say, “S-stop, please, I didn't choose to do this!”

Tom froze, then met his eyes, expression hard. “What do you mean, you didn't choose to do it? You chose to poison Marco.”

“N-no, I mean... it wasn't my idea! I don't like him but I'm not stupid enough to try and do that... I was bribed!”

This wasn't exactly new. Tom has dealt with people who had taken orders from others to kill him. So he scoffed and said, “Yeah, well... too bad. You did it, and that's all I care about. You're a traitor and a bastard. Have fun having that last part carved into your stomach, by the way.”

Craig tried to look down at the word written on his stomach, but there was too much blood for him to make it out. He wailed and tried to pull his arms down, but didn't succeed. “I was forced! I... I would have been killed myself if I hadn't!”

Tom raised an eyebrow. “Really? Who wanted Marco dead that badly?”

Craig closed his mouth, shaking his head rapidly. “I will not say.”

“This can get so much worse for you.” Tom lifted his hand, digging the tip of the knife under Craig's fingernail. “Do you really want to go this route?”

“Please, I can't, I was sworn to secrecy! Under a magical oath, I'll surely perish if I speak their name! All I can say is that they gave me the poison to use, I didn't make it myself, please you have to believe me!”

Tom sighed. “Well, whoever bribed you is a shitty person and they better hope I never find them. And you are still at fault for doing their dirty work for them, you coward. You're probably going to perish anyway so you might as well tell me.”

“No, your majesty, I can't.”

Tom shrugged. His bloodlust had faded. He felt anxious and sore, and he turned away, feeling a pounding headache. “Then tell the dungeon master. Goodbye, you shouldn't be seeing me again.” He walked out, pausing to speak with the dungeon master. “He was hired to kill Marco by someone else. See if you can wring a name out of him. Apparently he's under a death oath not to tell. But I don't mind him dying. Get me information if you can.”

“Yes, Master Tom.” The monstrous demon stood and jogged to the cell, and Tom could hear screams before he reached the door. He was curious but it really didn't matter if he got the information or not. One less assassin was a good thing. But if there was someone else, he needed to keep an eye out. Anyone could be a threat to him.

Tom chose to walk all the way up to his room. No one glanced twice at him being covered in blood. There were all manner of reasons for that. It was no one's business to know. He used the opportunity to think about how he had behaved. It had been a huge step backwards in regards to his therapy, and he really hoped he was just overemotional because of Marco nearly dying. That wasn't normal for him. It had been... it had been like one his father's rages, he realized with dread.

He told himself to relax. Tomorrow was gonna be a big, perfect day. He was going to get his wings, marry Marco, and become the king, and he could leave this nasty situation behind him. Today was supposed to be about relieving stress. So he made plans to treat himself to a hot bath with plenty of bubbles, followed by a long sleep curled up with Marco. That would get him more than ready for tomorrow.

When Tom entered the room, he was relieved to see that Marco was still asleep. He wasn't noticed as he crossed to the bathroom and took his bath. He took his time scrubbing the blood off himself, slightly nauseous as he thought about what he had done. Then his thoughts turned to what Craig had said. He had been bribed to poison Marco. That wasn't uncommon but this time there was one detail that stood out to Tom. Just how complex the poison had been. Not just anyone could create it. It required days of work to brew properly. Adding anything at the wrong times could cause the cauldron to emit noxious fumes and kill whoever is over it. It had to be tended to constantly. And the ingredients themselves were incredibly rare. Only someone with a lot of time, money, and skill could make the silent death. So who had orchestrated this? He just didn't know right now, and unless Craig confessed something, he would probably never know.

He sighed, sinking further into the bubbles and glaring at the wall. The one day that could have been nice and relaxed, and it had been ruined. But that was fine. He couldn't change it, and they'll have more time for nice days once they were in charge.

Tom drained the tub and got out, drying off and pulling on a robe. He scooped up his clothes and returned to his room. Clothes were dropped in the hamper, stuffed under ones that weren't bloody, and he fiddled anxiously with his knife before just dropping it onto his desk.

When he crawled into bed and snuggled up to Marco, he was startled by him speaking. “Where'd you run off to?”

“Nowhere, really,” Tom said. “Just... went for a walk.”

Marco was quiet for a moment, then said, “Are you lying to me?”

“What? I...” Tom trailed off, thinking about how many times in the past Marco has been upset with him for his compulsive lying, and sighed. He curled closer to him, draping his arms around him. “I'm sorry, I was. How did you know?”

“Your heart started beating faster when I asked. You don't need to lie to me.”

“Sorry... it's just... I wanted to track down the guy who hurt you, that's all. So I went and found him. Luckily he was still in the restaurant, guess he didn't expect me to be back for him. Fool.”

“Oh. What'd you do to him?”

“Made him regret it.” Tom left it at that. He didn't want to go into detail and he didn't want to worry him by mentioning that someone else had arranged it. He didn't want Marco to be on edge tomorrow.

“Okay. I won't ask. Just... he's not going to do it again, is he?”

Tom smiled, kissing the back of his neck. “No. He'll never be able to poison anyone again.”

“Good. I...” Marco swallowed, and nodded. “Good.” He shifted, getting comfortable in Tom's arms. “You feel really warm.”

“Do I? I just got out of a hot bath.”

“I don't think it's that, but... ah whatever, maybe I'm imagining things. You ready for tomorrow?”

“As ready as I'm going to be.” Tom cringed as pain raced down his spine. “I can't wait to get my wings... it's already starting to hurt.”

“I'm sorry. Is it bad?”

“Mm, not too bad right now. I'm gonna go to sleep before it gets any worse. Goodnight, love.”

Marco shifted and rolled over, moving so he was nestled against Tom's front, head tucked under his chin. “Goodnight.” His hand found Tom's and held it, and this time when he fell asleep, the other followed suit.


	15. Fledging

Shifting and muffled growling woke Marco up. He groaned and lifted his head, blinking. Tom was curled up with his back to him, arms wrapped around himself.

Marco pushed himself up and leaned closer, softly kissing behind Tom’s ear. “Are you alright?”

“No,” Tom replied shortly.

Marco sat up, worried now. “Is it nerves? I know the coronation is… Today… Oh my God.” He stared at the clock, which showed that it was shortly after four AM. “It’s gonna be today. We’re about to be sworn in.”

“Yes, just… Please, can we be quiet? I’m trying to sleep.”

Marco frowned and laid down behind him, holding him close. “What’s wrong?”

Tom hunched his shoulders, cursing under his breath but otherwise not replying.

“Tom…” Marco nuzzled his neck. “C’mon, tell me. I want to help.”

“I’m just not in a good mood right now, my stomach is all queasy and my back hurts. I feel like I’m going to throw up.”

“I’m sorry. Anything I can do to help?”

“No. It’ll pass. I need to just ignore it.”

Marco slid his hands up to Tom’s back, pressing curiously. Tom hissed, but then leaned into the touches. “Ah, that hurts but… It feels better afterward. Keep going.”

“Of course.” Marco began massaging his back, and Tom slowly relaxed, trying to focus on how nice it felt rather than the crawling and burning under his skin. Marco kept on until Tom drifted off to sleep, and then passed out too.

But all too soon, the alarm was ringing, and then their room was being invaded. Servants practically dragged them out of bed, grooming and clothing them, chattering excitedly about the day. Marco cooperated but Tom was in a foul mood, snapping at people and yanking himself away every time they pulled at him too much. But they were led to a separate room for the preparations without too much difficulty.

Christine and Judas walked in just in time for Tom to yell, “I don’t want to smell like a goddamn rose bush!” and kick the goblin that had been attempting to use body spray on him. The little creature was hurled across the room, but he took it in stride.

“Ah I remember my coronation,” Judas said fondly. “I punted someone right through the wall. How are you feeling, son?”

“Like absolute shit,” Tom complained. “I mean… Look at Marco!”

Marco lifted a hand from where he was reclined in a chair, eyes closed and head back as he was pampered. “Sup?”

“He’s completely chill with this and I… I feel like I’m freaking out! I can hardly stand still and I feel so angry and… And damn it, I said no body spray!” Tom snatched the bottle and ignited it. He sighed and fidgeted as his outfit was smoothed out. “I want to get this over with.”

Judas chuckled. “Oh Tom, you’re just cranky because you’re about to fledge. I was angry the whole day before I grew my wings. I promise you’ll feel so much better once it’s over. Then we’ll clean up the blood, get you into a new outfit, and then will be the wedding!”

Tom tilted his head. Angry the whole day before, huh? That would explain his behavior yesterday, then. That made him feel a little better about it.

Marco opened his eyes, smiling with anticipation for the wedding. Tom glanced at him and smiled too, momentarily calmed by the prospect. But he was soon growing agitated again. “It better be quick.”

“It will be,” Christine assured him. “Just don’t fight it. It’s gonna hurt a lot but resisting the pain makes it worse. Just get it over with and let them burst out.”

“Not now though,” Judas said quickly. “Hold it in for now.”

“Duh,” Tom said.

Judas tapped his wife’s arm. “Remember my great grandpa Reggie? Apparently his fledging was an absolute disaster, wings burst out before he even entered the room.”

She snorted. “Talk about blowing your wad early.”

“They never let him live it down for the rest of his reign. And then he got to pass on the torch to his daughter, who stood up there for three hours before one wing grew out. Then the other one popped out five minutes later. Embarrassing!”

They laughed and left the room. Tom and Marco, clad in rather simple but stylish dress pants and collared shirts for this event, followed. The first order of business was breakfast. Tom barely ate. He groaned when he smelled food and nearly retched when it was actually put in front of him.

“Listen, babe, you’ve gotta eat,” Marco told him, rubbing his back. He found that Tom liked it best when he massaged just below the shoulder blades, so he focused on those areas. “You’ll need your energy.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You still need food.” Marco slowly managed to feed him dry cereal, and gave him a bagel with cream cheese to munch on. Tom occupied himself with just nibbling it, not really swallowing, staring off into space. Occasionally a shudder would go down his spine and he would cringe.

Marco couldn’t force him to eat. So he focused on himself, downing an omelet and slathering a piece of toast with butter. He got Tom to at least drink water.

“Hydration is good,” Marco said. “More water gives you better circulation, keeps your blood pumping. Hey, today is gonna be great, look how excited everyone is.”

It was incredibly loud in the dining hall and everyone was dressed much more nicely than usual. Marco could see his parents at a table and waved to them. And then he realized Star was also at their table, with Janna! He waved more vigorously and Star pounded the table with the handle of her wand, bright pink sparks flaring up.

“Look, Star’s here,” Marco said to Tom.

“Hm?” Tom sat up, locating her. He grinned and waved too. “I’m glad they made it. It’ll be nice having them here.”

Star actually got up, making her way up to their table with Janna in tow. No one tried to stop the woman that was soon to be Queen of Mewni.

“Look at you!” Tom said, standing and leaning across the table to shake her hand.

“Who cares about me, this is all about you!” she replied, hugging him. She grasped his arms when she leaned back. “Looking good! You and Marco both do! Wow, I can’t believe it’s finally time, you’re getting married and you’re gonna be kings! Well, king and lord if we’re gonna be specific. But still!”

“How are you?” Marco asked Janna, who had come around to his side of the table and was eating grapes from the platter he had been eyeing earlier.

“Great! Is there such a thing as air conditioning in the Underworld?” she asked.

Marco laughed. “Nope. Sorry, you gotta deal.”

“Man. Well, luckily I had this super cute short dress, and it’s sleeveless.” Janna spread her arms to show it off. “I don’t know how Star can stand that ballroom gown thing she’s wearing.”

“Me neither. Star power I guess. How’s your room? Did you get a nice one?”

“Totally, it’s so big and the bed is so comfortable. Hey, don’t screw up, alright? You got a whole kingdom watching you.” Janna flicked his nose, and then opened her hand and revealed Marco’s phone.

“How do you keep doing that?” he demanded, taking it and shoving it back into his pocket.

She winked and wiggled her fingers at him. “Magic. See ya!” She took Star’s hand as they returned to their table.

Tom was in a better mood as he sat down. “So good to see them here. I’ve missed hanging out with Star. And her and Janna go so well together.”

“Yeah, they’re perfect,” Marco agreed.

When breakfast was over, they headed to the ballroom. It was where the wedding would take place, but for now it was going to be the location where Tom finally got his wings.

Tom and Marco went to their spots with no prompting. They’ve rehearsed this enough times. While the crowd of spectators filled the room and squabbled over chairs, Tom himself waited near the stage that had been set up in the center. Marco went ahead and climbed onto it, and was joined by Judas and Christine, along with the master of ceremonies, Zed.

They waited until eight, and then started the moment the grandfather clock chimed, so deep that it imposed an immediate hush on the crowd.

“Prince Thomas, come forward,” Zed commanded.

Tom had set his face into a neutral expression, despite how he was clearly still in pain. He walked stiffly up to the stage and climbed the stairs, and Zed guided him to stand in the center, facing the audience.

“Let us begin our day of ceremonies. Prince Thomas and his soon-to-be groom Marcus will be your king and lord by the end of this day. It is a momentous and joyful occasion. Even more so that today marks Tom’s eighteenth birthday. Today is the day he enters manhood and earns his wings, an event every young demon looks forward to.”

There was some chatter from the audience and dirty looks, so Zed amended himself. “That is, most young demons, assuming it's a feature of their race.” He cleared his throat and turned to Tom. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Tom still wasn’t completely sure how he was supposed to grow them. But he set his feet apart, making sure his stance was steady, and waited. Pain twisted in his back, rolling down his spine, and he had to bite his lip to keep from growling.

“Relax,” Judas said. “It’ll happen on its own.”

Tom looked to Marco for reassurance, fidgeting. Marco smiled at him, nodding. He had no idea how much this hurt.

It felt like two knives were being driven into Tom’s back and dragging down, all while his skin itched and twitched as if he was being consumed by fire ants. All eyes were on him and he found himself annoyed by their attention, and he glared at them. His vision was becoming tinted with red.

A few minutes passed with nothing really happening. Tom stood there on the stage and shook, visibly pained but still not sprouting any wings. Somewhere in the corner of the room, music was being played just to provide ambiance. It was too light and cheerful for his liking.

Then the pain intensified. He gasped, knees buckling as something ripped at his skin from the inside. He managed to catch himself and straighten back up, and his ears flattened as he hyperventilated.

Marco went to hold his hand, standing in front of him. “Hey, listen, it’s okay. You’re doing great, it’ll be over soon.”

“I want it to be over now!” Tom shouted, throwing his arms down. Flames burst up from the ground and then faded away a few moments later, but the air remained hot. Marco gently stroked his cheek.

“It will be. Just hold on.”

Tom exhaled and grabbed Marco’s hand, cradling it to his face. “You feel so cool…”

“And you’re burning up,” Marco observed. “Which is saying something.”

“He’s close to fledging,” Zed said. “Let’s give him some encouragement, folks!”

The citizens cheered and clapped for him. Tom scowled and pulled away from Marco, giving him a push. “Don’t touch me.”

Marco wasn’t upset. He knew Tom was going to be angry until his wings grew. It wasn’t really Tom’s fault. Just demon biology. But he couldn't help but look on with concern, heart aching at the clear agony on his partner's face. He wanted to hold onto him and soothe him until it was over, but considering the way Tom's claws were curling and his teeth were gnashing, perhaps it was best to keep his distance.

Tom paced at the front of the stage, rubbing his arms, shooting glares every time he made eye contact with someone.

“It’s taking him a while,” Judas said.

“Oh please, not everyone is able to just immediately pop out their wings through sheer force of will like you did,” Christine replied, rolling her eyes.

“Well they should,” Judas said.

Finally Tom stopped, arms falling stiffly to his sides and fists clenching. He furrowed his brow and closed his eyes, and took in a deep breath. He hunched his shoulders and then straightened with a scream that made everyone jump.

There were two loud ripping sounds, and then solid black wings burst out from behind him, spreading wide open. Light gleamed off the blood coating them, and they flicked a few times, droplets falling to the floor. The wing membranes were sleek like raven feathers, the arms strong.

Tom panted, rubbing sweat off his forehead. Marco went to his side, supporting him. He looked close to passing out.

The audience burst into applause, and Zed launched into some speech about the growth of Tom’s wings representing rebirth, or… something. Marco tuned it out, brushing sweat from Tom’s face. He kept looking at the slim wings that were furled behind him. The strong leading fingers were long enough to reach to Tom’s hips, and there were two thinner fingers on each wing as well. There was still lots of blood coating them, and Marco moved to look at Tom’s back. They had torn open his shirt when they emerged, and the skin was red and split apart around where the wings connected to his back. He could see muscle.

“You okay?” Marco asked worriedly.

“Y-yeah, way better now,” Tom assured him.

“Does it still hurt?”

“A little, but I’ll heal.”

“Should we uh… stop the bleeding?”

“Nah, I’m good.” Tom seemed relaxed now. He waited patiently for Zed to stop talking, and then it was time for his parents to speak.

“Happy Birthday,” Christine said, clapping her hands on Tom’s shoulders. “Look at you. You’ve grown into a fine, intelligent young man. Let’s take a look at these wings.” She went to one side and Judas went to the other, and they grasped the leading fingers and spread Tom’s wings open. He glanced over his shoulder at them, amazed. He curiously tried to move one. It was weird, like having two new arms sticking out of his back. But they didn’t move quite the same. Still, he found he could control them with no problem. He stopped moving them after a moment, letting his parents take a look.

“Webbed,” Christine said. “He took after me.”

Judas seemed disappointed. “I was hoping he’d get feathered ones like mine, but no matter. They’re great.”

Christine ran her hand along the arm and announced to the crowd, “Biceps are fairly strong, and the lower arms are surprisingly muscular. That, combined with the long yet thin shape, makes for very aerodynamic wings. Not much for powering through the air, but rather allowing for graceful movements and quick turns.” She pursed her lips. “Prince Tom is a diplomat, not a dictator.”

The reaction from the crowd was mixed, and Tom stepped forward, wings slipping from his parents’ hands. He folded them close to his back and said, “It doesn’t matter. I will rule well and the Underworld will continue to prosper. I promise you that. It takes more than strength to rule a kingdom. I will prove that I have what it takes.”

People clapped and cheered, and he opened his wings again.

“You gonna try flying with them?” Marco asked. “You can already levitate.”

“I know but I want to try this.” Tom gave them some cautious flaps, tilting them a few ways, getting a feel for them. Then he leaped off the stage and drove them down, catching the air. He instinctively knew what to do, and hovered there, wings beating rapidly.

It was a strain on his injured back, but he didn’t land, instead letting everyone take a look at him. He angled his body and tilted his wings, now pushing air behind him to fly around in a circle. It was exhilarating flying under wing power rather than just thinking about it, and he laughed, doing a flip.

Marco watched him with a smile, glad it had gone okay. With a mental command, he lifted up and flew after him. He still wasn’t entirely confident with levitation, but he hardly thought about it now, just wanting to be with Tom. He took his hands and twirled around with him, and he pulled Marco in for a kiss, wings beating a few more times before he mindlessly switched to levitation and wrapped them around him.

Marco straightened as blood soaked through his shirt. “Why are they so bloody?”

“Well they did just rip out of my back,” Tom replied. “That tends to make you bleed.”

“Oh. I figured it would be a more magical thing, like… They just suddenly appear and then you have them.”

“No, this isn’t My Little Pony, wings don’t just appear as if by magic. Well, I mean, you can magic up someone a pair of wings but it’s not quite the same. But growing your own? It hurts. They spend years developing inside the body and then push their way out once they’re ready. Why are we like that? Who knows but we are.”

“Well, they’re out now, and they’re beautiful.” Marco took one gently in a hand, exploring over the spindly but strong phalanges, over the soft membranes.

Tom cleared his throat when the audience cooed. “Perhaps we can do this later. We need to get ready for the wedding.”

Marco blushed. “Right.” He was looking forward to that. They landed, and after a few more words from Zed, were released. Everyone left to get ready for the wedding, and Marco’s parents came up to see him.

“That looked like it hurt,” Angie said worriedly. “You okay?”

“I’m great. Much better now that they’re out.” Tom felt one of the servants start cleaning his wings off, and opened them to make it easier.

Rafael leaned in to examine them, then said, “Marco, think you will grow any wings?”

Marco shrugged. “Haven’t really thought about it. I assume not, I’m…” He glanced around to make sure no one was listening, and then whispered to him, “I’m not exactly a natural born demon. Star just transformed me into this. I doubt she even made me the kind that grows wings.”

“I don’t know, there’s a good chance,” Tom said. “But we’ll know for sure once you turn eighteen.”

“That sounds promising.”

“Hey, why are we just standing around in an empty room?” Tom said loudly. He grinned over his shoulder at his parents, then said, “Let’s go get ready for the wedding!”


	16. The Wedding

Tom and Marco were led to a dressing room, and both of them were unclothed and pushed into a shower together to get the blood off them, which flustered both of them, but the stylists didn’t care.

“I don’t even have much blood on me,” Marco protested through the curtain.

“No but you haven’t showered yet today and you need to. Clean off.”

Grumbling, Marco grabbed the plain shampoo that was available in the shower, washing his hair. Tom chuckled and gently thumped his shoulder with his own.

“Think you could help me wash these off? That servant didn't get everything and it’s a lot more skin than I’m used to having,” Tom said.

“Oh, sure.” Letting the shampoo sit in his hair for a while, Marco took the body wash from him and started cleaning his left wing, while Tom curled the right in front of himself and cleaned that one.

“These feel so weird,” Tom said. “You have no idea.”

“I bet. They’re cool, though.” Marco rubbed the washcloth against the membrane, watching red stream down and drip off. At least the blood was coming off easily. And here he had a great view of Tom’s butt, though he kept his eyes planted solely on the wing.

“Mm…” Tom rolled his shoulders. “Careful, they’re still tender.”

“Is this hurting you?” Marco pulled the cloth back.

Tom shook his head. “No, it feels fine, I was just letting you know to be careful with them.”

“I will.” Marco gently cradled the wing with an arm, running the cloth softly over it. When he was done with one side, he moved to wash the other. This required him to stand at Tom’s side and face the front of the wing, and it was tempting to just turn and check out the other, but he resisted the urge. He finished up quickly and moved under the showerhead to rinse himself off.

“Thanks.” Tom flicked his wings and held them under the spray, before rinsing off too.

Marco directed his attention to where the wings had torn out. The blood had been washed away but it still looked pretty painful, and he carefully scrubbed around the wounds. “I hope these heal.”

“They will. They heal really fast actually, so don’t worry about it.” Tom stepped away from him, lifting his arms and sighing as water hit his back.

Marco couldn’t help it. He looked at him, eyes gazing up and down his body, and he inhaled quickly. Tom looked so good, and he wanted to just reach out and run his hands over his muscles, but…

“Are you two about finished?” a voice called. “We’re on a schedule!”

“Wedding’s not for like three hours,” Tom scowled, then noticed Marco staring at him. He smirked. “Take a picture, it’ll last you longer.”

“If I had my phone, I would,” Marco replied.

“Isn’t it in your pants that are laying over there?”

“I don’t want to get it wet.”

Tom snorted and got out, drying off. Marco turned off the water and followed, and from there they were pretty much dragged in two separate directions.

Marco really hadn’t expected them to need so much time to get them ready, but apparently they did. He was first checked over to make sure he was completely clean, and then was actually allowed to get dressed. Even then, he only got as far as underwear and a pressed silver shirt before he was being stopped by someone taking hold of his hands.

“How would you like your claws filed?” they asked. “Sharp, or rounded?”

“Uh… rounded.”

The demon seemed surprised, but shrugged and got started. “A shame, they would look lovely carved into points.”

“Knowing me I’d rip my clothes with them, so I’d rather not.”

“Understandable, my lord.”

Lord. Marco could definitely get used to that. His chair was reclined slightly, and he just closed his eyes and let them tend to his nails. Someone started on his toes too, which was difficult for him to tolerate, but he managed.

While this was going on, another began polishing his horns. He’s never bothered to do that and often forgot they existed until he looked in a mirror or banged one into something. But the scrubbing sensation was soothing, and he relaxed into it.

He felt hands on his ears, and then even those were being cleaned.

“Wow you guys don’t miss anything, do you?” he asked.

“We want to make sure you look perfect for your prince!”

“He loves me just the way I am. But I appreciate it.”

His stylists covered all their bases while he was sitting in that chair. They groomed his hair, his eyebrows, applied subtle perfume to certain areas, even had him open his mouth so they could brush his teeth with an extremely minty toothpaste. And even once they did that, they flossed afterward! They definitely wanted him to be kissable.

Finally he was allowed to sit up, and they had him stand, leading him over to a pedestal with mirrors on three sides. His shirt was straightened out and a blue tie was fastened around his collar. And then they brought out his wedding outfit.

Marco never really was one for wearing suits, but he had to admit, that was a fine piece of clothing. White as snow, it boasted a fairly wide collar and large lapels, its buttons sterling silver and engraved with elegant flame designs. The lapels had similar silver studs along them, and the ends of the sleeves folded up into cuffs and were held in place by the same kind of buttons. Sharp coattails draped down the back of the suit, and it was turned around so he could see the back. It had buckles, but they were more for show than to actually adjust it to his size; it was already tailored to fit him perfectly.

The trousers were a matching white, nothing too notable about them, but they were nice as well.

He would be wearing simple black socks and shiny black loafers.

Marco allowed them to pull the clothes onto him, looking at himself in the mirror as they were fastened and smoothed. He looked very refined and it almost made him laugh. These kinds of clothes just didn’t fit him. But it was a wedding. He had to look good.

A blue cummerbund was slipped around his waist, mostly hidden by the coat, but just visible enough to give a dash of color to the otherwise plain outfit. And it was pretty slimming.

“Hm,” Marco hummed, looking himself over.

“Is everything to your liking, sir?”

“Well…” He touched his tie. “I feel like a bow tie will look better.”

After some quick discussion, they brought him a bow tie of the same color and tied it on instead. He thought about it, then nodded. “Yeah, I like that.”

He had figured they would be annoyed, but instead, they liked him taking a more active role in his outfit. They asked him a lot of questions as they put on each piece, making sure he liked how it looked.

He just agreed with them that everything looked great, and soon was able to step into his shoes. Comfortable, at least for now. They were polished to remove the fingerprints from the stylist who had carried them in.

Marco was finally able to step down, and the lead stylist, a demoness named Ellie, asked if he wanted to change out his earrings.

“Well, what do you have for me to wear instead?” he asked.

She was happy to show him the assortment of beautiful earrings they had, and he browsed through them, but ultimately decided he would rather wear the ones he already had. The skulls had been Tom’s idea, he wanted to leave them on. And the ruby one also had sentimental value relating to Tom, who had been there when he got it.

The stylists allowed it, and took him over to a counter so they could work on his hair. Before had just been a cursory brushing, but now they took their time, blow drying it and combing diligently, and he watched as it fluffed up in the mirror, before being smoothed back down.

“Please don’t make it too different from my usual style,” he said.

They exchanged looks, and Ellie said, “Are you sure? We could give it a stylish curl, like this…” She indicated, and Marco shook his head.

“I don’t want to look like Elvis.”

They shrugged and just parted it on the right like it usually was, brushing it over and just focusing on getting the tangles and dandruff out of it.

Marco fidgeted with his phone as they worked, but really there wasn’t much he could do with it, and he wondered why he had even brought it down. One and a half hours until the wedding.

He ended up just giving the phone to a random servant and telling them to return it to his room. Once it was out of his hands, he sighed and stared at his reflection. This was happening. He was about to get married. To the most incredible person he has ever met.

The next thirty minutes were just spent standing at the counter. They didn’t let him sit because they didn’t want him to crinkle his coattails or otherwise mess up his outfit.

They offered to put makeup on him, which he considered. Then he agreed to let them fix up his eyelashes. That didn’t take long though, and he debated whether or not he wanted eyeliner. He decided yes, but had them apply it very conservatively. Just a dark line around them to draw attention to his eyes, little curls coming off the inside corners.

With around one hour to go, he was able to leave. He didn’t see Tom anywhere, and was led to the ballroom, which had already been set up for the wedding, though preparations were still being done. At the last moment, he was steered away from the main doors and taken around to the side, to a small room that he knew led into the ballroom from their rehearsals. There was a matching one on the other side. He ran over the ceremony in his head, but really, this was the easy one. Just your basic wedding.

Though rather than Tom standing at the front and Marco being led down the aisle, they had arranged to meet as equals, coming from the side rooms and standing next to each other in the center.

Once he was confident in what he had to do, he went over his vows. Most of it was typical. There was a minister that would give a speech, and they would get to say their own personal vows to each other. There was a ritual involving candles, and then they would say, “I do.” Then it would be over, they’re married, and it’ll be time for the reception. No doubt they had a mountain of gifts to go through.

Royal weddings in the Underworld usually didn’t bother with bridesmaids or the like, but Star had insisted on a role, so she would be bringing them their rings after the candle ritual. No doubt she has already gone through a wardrobe change since this morning. Marco was glad she would be taking part.

Marco paced, hearing as the room filled up with people, all chattering away. Then the door into this one opened and Star bounced through.

“There’s my Marco!” she sang. She stopped in her tracks, staring at him. Then she squealed, “You look so handsome! I already saw Tom and he looks great too but you! I love that outfit!”

“Thanks,” he replied, laughing. “What’s Tom wearing?”

“Oh no, I’m not spoiling it for you. You’ll see him when the wedding starts.” She gave a twirl. “Like my dress?”

She had forgone the poofy ballroom gown in favor of a slimming, sleeveless purple dress with a slit up one leg. Its bodice was decorated with flowers and the entire thing seemed to shimmer when it caught the light just right. She was wearing a matching flower crown.

“You trying to upstage me?” Marco asked.

She scoffed and gave him a small push. “Please. You’re gonna be the real attraction out there.” She scratched her back and scowled. “Dang wings keep messing up my clothes… I had to get the back of this lowered even more so they could be free. I think the zipper slipped down. Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” Marco brushed her long hair aside. Despite how queens in Mewni traditionally had large updos, she insisted on keeping her hair down and free. He liked it better this way. He saw that her wings had grown larger than they were last time he saw them. Now that he thought about it, it’s been a few years. They weren’t usually visible due to her hair covering them. But now they were wider, taking the shape of delicate butterfly wings with reflective pink scales in heart patterns on them.

“Everyone’s got wings but me,” he laughed, and tugged the zipper up, making sure it stayed in place. He could see how the back of the dress was pressing to the underside of her wings. “Can you fly with them yet?”

She responded by jumping and fluttering them fast, like a hummingbird. She succeeded in hovering for a good ten seconds, before having to land. “I’m getting there.”

Marco chuckled. “It’s something.”

She checked the time, then hugged him and said, “Gotta go! Hey, you two are really cute together. I hope this works out.”

“It will,” Marco assured her. “I love him so much.” His back was to the others in the room, so he winked at her. “And I mean that.”

She blinked, then grinned and hugged him tighter, swinging him back and forth. “Aaah oh my gosh! I’m so happy for you guys! Two of my besties getting married, this is so great!”

“Star, you’re messing up your crown,” Marco said, noticing that a lilac was getting crushed against one of his horns.

“That’s fine, I have a million of these things.” She stepped back though, fixing it. “I’ll see ya out there. Bye!”

“See ya.” He watched her go, and turned to his attendants, who seemed quite amused.

“She’s gonna be a fine queen,” one said.

“So much energy, she’s going to get a lot done.”

Marco looked at the clock. Thirty minutes. He could hear piano music giving the waiting citizens something to listen to. He kept messing with his clothes, making sure there wasn’t any lint on them.

He received word that the hall was absolutely packed and people were standing around the walls. They should have done this outside.

Twenty minutes to go and someone came up to fix his mascara. He thanked them and fiddled with his claws. He started to think he should have put on nail polish. Too late for that now though.

The music really was lovely. Most of it was in an eerie minor key, but he enjoyed it. It was still pretty and he liked how different it sounded.

At ten minutes he was pacing, doing sharp little about faces each time he changed direction. Something he had picked up while hanging out with the military training base nearby. They had shown him how to march. What could he say, it was fun.

Someone expressed concern about the heels of his shoes getting scuffed by the pivoting. He responded that no one was going to see that, but stopped anyway so they could check, and then resorted to walking around in circles.

When it was only mere minutes away, he went to the door. His hair was combed one last time and a lint roller passed over his clothes. He mumbled his vows and forgot most of it. He swallowed. He’ll just have to wing it. It would be more genuine that way anyway.

Then everyone backed off and he heard the wedding march start. A familiar tune, but rendered in minor, with a chilling effect. Fitting for down here.

He counted out two measures, and then pushed the door open. Directly across from him, Tom was also stepping out.

They walked toward each other in long but controlled steps. It was much more exciting doing it for real, and he felt himself growing warm at the attention from all the people in the room. There were so many, mostly demons, but other races were present too, from all sorts of dimensions. He didn’t look too closely though, instead staring at Tom.

Words failed him. Tom was beautiful. His eyes, already intense, had been lined with black to make them even more striking, and crimson eye shadow faded out from his upper lids. He had foregone his usual iron earrings in favor of solid onyx ones that shifted color in the light.

His hair was styled differently, softly framing his face while its usual swept back spikes, achieved through years of hair gel, had been brushed down to join the rest of his hair, making it fuller, though inevitably pretty fluffy at the top.

Tom was wearing a suit rather similar to his except black and with a more common style of lapels, its coattails almost seeming to float behind him as he walked. Rather than loafers, he wore knee high boots with buckles, his pants tailored to be slim enough to fit inside them rather than being fit over top.

His tie was red over a gray shirt and he carried a bouquet of bloodflowers wrapped in white silk. A gift, as he was the one who had proposed, but Marco still kinda wished he had something for him.

Tom’s wings were folded close to his back but kept giving small twitches, opening wide enough to be seen beyond his arms before quickly closing again. Marco almost laughed; he clearly wasn’t used to them yet. They were completely betraying how happy Tom was.

The crowd murmured with delight at their appearances, a few already sniveling. When they reached each other, right in the center of the room, it fell quiet, the last piano notes fading out.

“For you, my love,” Tom said softly, handing Marco the bouquet. He accepted it, smiling and only looking at it for a moment before looking back up at the other. “You look perfect.”

“Thanks.” Marco sniffed the flowers, trying to hide his blush. “You too.” They were quite sweet, but in a strong, fiery way that almost made his nose wrinkle. He still enjoyed the smell, though. He lowered them.

They stood there for a moment, gazing into each other’s eyes, letting the photographers that were no doubt in the crowd get their fill. Marco could see his parents, front row, rapidly taking pictures, his mother with a proper camera and his dad with a smartphone. Angie also had a camcorder set up.

The magistrate stepped forward, and they turned toward him.

“Dear citizens, family, and friends,” he said, and Marco knew this was going to be long. His voice was slow and careful, capable of lulling even the most attentive person to sleep. But he has apparently been marrying royal couples for hundreds of years and it was considered an insult to not invite him to officiate a wedding between the prince of the Underworld and his partner. So he was what they got.

“We are gathered here today to bind these two in blessed matrimony. We celebrate their decision to journey forward in life together as husbands and forever be bound by their love. But more than this, Thomas and Marcus have an additional responsibility that they will carry together. That of becoming our new king and lord. May their love be strong and their hearts courageous, as they take the Underworld into its future.”

Marco glanced over at Tom, shooting him a discreet smile. Tom smiled back, one hand brushing Marco’s side. Marco lowered a hand to grip it.

The magistrate droned on for a while, but luckily he sounded more enthusiastic now than he did when they rehearsed.

Marco did his best to listen, but he kept tuning him out to instead look at his partner, hardly able to believe that they were actually here. They were getting married. It had been tough work but here they were and it was going well. There had been a bit of a hiccup yesterday but they were past that.

Marco tuned back in.

“Your love will be an inspiration to us and I hope that with it, you two become the powerful leaders you deserve to be. It is time for your spirits to be bound.” The magistrate spread his hands and stepped behind the table that had been set up nearby, where two candles were burning. “These candles represent your lives. Separate, but burning brightly in each other’s presence. But they will burn so much brighter if they are together.” He handed them to the two. Marco put his flowers aside on the table so they wouldn’t get burnt.

Tom and Marco turned to face each other, first crossing the candles so they formed an X. Then they moved them so their ends were pressed together, flames combining into one. And here they had to improvise: Most demon couples would use their combined flame abilities to forge the candlesticks into one. But Marco didn’t have that power. Instead, Tom took over, hand heating and causing the wax to run. Their hands got messy, but they were able to mold the softened wax together into one candle, prodding the wicks so that they were close enough to keep producing that single large flame.

They set it down onto the provided ceramic plate, and wiped their hands clean before the wax dried. Marco returned to holding his flowers.

“Very nice,” the magistrate said. “May we have the rings, Ms. Star Butterfly?”

That was Star’s cue to come down the aisle, carrying the rings on a plump pillow. She was trying to have a regal bearing but also couldn’t stop grinning, so bubbly that she actually did divert attention momentarily away from the couple.

“You are trying to upstage me,” Marco said once she got to them. The audience laughed.

“Not on purpose,” she said. “It’s your day.” She held out the pillow.

“Take the rings, if you would,” the magistrate said. Marco picked up the black gold one, and Tom took the sterling silver with small rubies inlaid in the band. They had agreed on what they wanted before this. “The couple will now deliver their personal vows.”

Star bowed out and went to stand out of the way, tucking the pillow under her arm.

Tom went first. “Marco, what can I say that I haven’t already countless times? I love you so much. You’re the smartest, bravest, strongest person I know. You’ve helped me more than I ever expected, and despite all the hardships I’ve been through, you never stopped believing in me. You’ve shown me kindness when I needed it, but also taught me to do the same. But you weren’t timid. I’ve needed someone who stood up to me and you always did it. You never let me get away with anything if I shouldn’t be doing it. You’ve set me straight so many times. You’re…” Tom paused and wiped his eyes off, then said, “You’re amazing. And you’re going to be the best lord this kingdom has ever known.”

Marco wasn’t sure how he didn’t just break down crying right then. The crowd was cooing over Tom’s confessions. Marco was certain he could make out his dad sobbing somewhere to the left. He cleared his throat. He had no idea what he had originally intended to say, so he just spoke from the heart.

“Tom. Heh, you pretty much covered everything I’ve wanted to say. Honestly, when we first met, I didn’t trust you. I thought you were a lying creep who couldn’t stand not getting what he wanted, but… Well, I wasn’t wrong. But that was then. You’ve changed. You’ve become such a good person and I’m so proud of how you’ve worked to better yourself. You just needed someone who believed in you and gave you positive reinforcement. And look at where it’s taken our relationship. We’re getting married. You’re going to be the king, and I know you’re nervous about it, but you’re so smart and you’ve been training for this your whole life. And you have me. I won’t let you down. We’ll do this together. I love you.”

Tom took Marco’s right hand. “I love you too.” He slipped the ring onto his ring finger, and Marco did the same.

“Do you, Tom, take Marco to be your beloved husband, to keep and cherish, to rule along so long as you both shall live?” the magistrate asked.

Tom nodded. “I do.” The tears were running down his cheeks. He didn’t try to wipe them off.

“And do you, Marco, take Tom to be your cherished husband, to keep and love, to protect and give guidance to for as long as you both shall live?”

Marco nodded. “I do.”

“Then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you as husbands. You may now kiss.”

Marco threw the bouquet as hard as he could toward the crowd, and then was swept into Tom’s arms and dipped back, the other kissing him deeply. He closed his eyes, draping his arms around the other to hold on as he kissed back, giggling with happiness once they broke apart. There was clapping and cheering, people getting to their feet, and they just kissed again.

“You’re crying,” Marco said.

“So are you,” Tom replied.

“Is your makeup waterproof?”

“Of course. Yours?”

“I hope so, the stylists put it on me.”

“It probably is. They’ve done a lot of these, they know how it goes.” They straightened up, embracing as the pianist started another piece.

An announcer let everyone know where the reception would be, but advised they just follow the newlyweds.

“Oh right, we’re supposed to lead the way,” Tom said. “Right. Well… Let’s go, then.” He took Marco’s hand and took off running down the aisle. They left the room and heard the others racing to follow. The nearby banquet room had been transformed for the reception, and they went there, ignoring how their fashionable shoes were difficult to move fast in. They were in love and they were finally married. They could overcome anything.


	17. Reception

Marco’s main focus upon getting to the reception was food. He made sure his parents were seated and weren’t being bothered by anyone, checked in on Star and Janna (Janna had jumped over someone to catch the bouquet), and then rushed over to the buffet.

“Marco, seriously,” Christine scolded from behind him as he filled his plate with BBQ ribs.

“Seriously, what?” he asked. “I’m hungry.” He balanced a roll on the plate and decided to come back later.

Tom had regained his appetite and was even worse, grabbing two plate’s worth of food and taking them to the front table where he and Marco would be sitting with the king and queen. Marco followed him, and a servant came around and offered them wine.

“Hit me up,” Marco agreed. He may be underage by human standards but as far as demons were concerned, he could drink whatever he wanted.

Christine sat to Marco’s other side, digging a fork into her pasta salad. “A shame your parents couldn’t be here, Marco.”

“Ah, well… You know,” he said, shrugging. “It happens.” He had lied and told her that his parents were dead. No one besides Tom could know that his parents were actually human. They would figure it out, and then they’d have a scandal on their hands.

“And yet you overcame and here you are, married to the prince. I’m sure your parents would be proud.” Christine looked out across the room, as people got food and sat down, talking excitedly about the events so far and looking forward to the coronation. Her eyes settled on Angie and Rafael, who were still in awe of the palace they were in and how delicious the food was. Marco smiled, remembering how he had to assure them that it wasn’t like the Greek myths and they could eat here without getting trapped, it was fine, really.

“So, Marco, who are those humans you invited here?” Christine asked. “You never really told me.”

“What, them? Ah…” Marco had to remember what his excuse for them was. “I used to visit the human world a lot during my studies. They uh… adopted me, I guess? My parents were already dead at that point and they could tell I was lonely, so they kinda became secondary parents.”

“Humans that would willingly spend time with one of us? Hm, maybe they aren’t all so terrible.” Christine seemed to accept the answer, but she still kept an eye on them. When she wasn’t getting distracted by Star’s loud voice that tended to carry over the crowd.

Judas waited until most people were settled, and stood, tapping his wine glass. Chatter ceased, eyes turning toward him. He raised his glass. “I’d like to propose a toast! What a grand day this is, and it’s only half over! My son is now a man, married and ready to become our king! Are you excited? I’m pretty excited.” The others cheered. He turned to Tom and Marco. “Good luck, both of you. You’ll do great things.” He and his wife clinked their glasses against Tom and Marco’s, and the rest of the room did the same with the others at their tables. They drank, and dug into their meals.

The food was of course perfect. Marco loved the ribs, practically licking each clean. The bread was flaky and warm, and once he was done, he went back to the buffet to get a bowl of blood beans. Despite the off putting name they were fairly appetizing, with a surprisingly meaty taste. They were named for the red liquid that dripped from them when they were squeezed. Marco had been weirded out by them at first but he liked them now.

Tom, meanwhile, had gotten a balanced meal on his first trip and was eating ravenously, claiming he felt like he was starving.

“That’s how it usually is after fledging,” Judas said. “It takes a lot of energy out of you. But hey, slow down before you choke.”

Tom nodded, cleaning off his mouth with a napkin and eating more slowly. Marco was finally starting to feel kinda full, but there was a cake over there and he was definitely going to indulge in it.

It was about twenty minutes before they did though. Mostly they just talked, and people came up to congratulate the couple, a few even beginning to suggest things they should do once they were in charge.

“Hey, no political talk right now,” Tom finally snapped. “Let’s talk about other stuff, leave the politics for when we’re sworn in, okay?”

They agreed.

But finally most people had gotten done with their food, and Tom and Marco went over to the massive white cake. It was decadent, all smooth buttercream frosting, sculpted into flames along the bottom, but on higher tiers they shaped into hearts, until the very top piece, which was decorated with an actual metal crown. Two diamonds were inlaid in it, colored red and purple for their favorite colors.

Marco gently lifted it off, licking the frosting off it and then using a napkin to dry it off. He plopped it on Tom’s head. “It suits you.”

Tom laughed and gave him a push. “Dork.”

They decided to cut their pieces from the top tier of the cake. They did so delicately, transferring them to plates. The cake itself was chocolate and smelled heavenly. Marco picked his piece up with his hand rather than using a fork. “And now’s the cheesy part where we feed each other.”

Tom chuckled and copied him. “Alright.”

They each lifted their slices to the other, and Marco leaned in as if about to take a bite. Then he smashed the cake against Tom’s face.

The room erupted with laughter, and Tom tried to twist his head aside. He retaliated, smearing cake across Marco’s face too, and the two struggled with each other, both laughing as they tried to get the other to back down. They had frosting all in their hair by the time they stopped, and Tom took hold of Marco’s cheeks, gently brushing cake away from his eyes before kissing him.

Marco was all smiles as he kissed back, delighted at the sweetness of the other’s lips. When they separated, they gently nuzzled and tried to lick the messes off each other, which only made them laugh more.

Someone gave each of them a towel, and they were able to properly wipe themselves clean.

“Our stylists are gonna hate us,” Marco said.

“They’ll be fine. Cake washes out. And we didn’t get too much on our clothes, I think.” Tom looked down, and wiped some crumbs off himself. His outfit still looked okay, as did Marco’s. Their hair was a different story.

“Another shower before the coronation then,” Marco said. “Okay, well… Let’s get new slices and actually try eating the cake this time.”

They cut new pieces and actually properly ate them, though they still used their forks to feed each other. Every time Marco looked at Tom he wanted to laugh; one stubborn glob of frosting still clung to his eyelash and he didn’t want to mention it to him. They returned to their table to eat and everyone else helped themselves to cake.

It was great, soft and sweet, and they savored it.

Partway through, Angie came up to their table with her camcorder. “I got footage of you two smearing cake all over each other, it’s so cute, you want me to edit it into the rest of the wedding video?”

“Of course I do,” Marco replied. “I gotta see that.”

“Oh and make sure you guys record later because demon receptions almost always include the couple getting roasted,” Tom said. “It’s fantastic.”

She seemed concerned. “Roasted? I thought you guys were fireproof!”

Marco laughed. “No, not like that. You know, like a… Comedy style roast, like they do to celebrities. Where they just make fun of you.”

“Ohh, okay. Sounds like fun. I’ll definitely record that then.” She wrapped an arm around him to give him a hug, and returned to her seat.

“I can only imagine what a demon roast is gonna be like,” Marco said.

“It can get pretty brutal. But we’re gonna be expected to take it. If we can’t handle some mean words then how can we handle running a kingdom? But it’s all in good fun.”

After about thirty minutes, during which Marco was sure if he ate anymore he was going to explode, Tom tapped the microphone at the edge of the table and got everyone’s attention.

“I want to thank everyone so much for being here,” he said. “This day has been great and we’re only halfway done. I’m sure you’re all looking forward to seeing us open gifts…” He gestured to the table nearby that was filled with them. “But that will have to wait. Because now is the most important part. Testimonials, and lots of toasting. I hope everyone has their alcohol of choice ready because I’m sure we all have a lot to say to each other.” Tom turned to smile lovingly at Marco. “Especially me. Marco, I just want to tell you that you’re perfect, and I’ll never forget when we first met and you angrily cut my hand off because you thought I was threatening Star.”

Everyone laughed, and Star giggled. “Oh Marco, you card.”

“Yeah? Well…” Marco took the microphone from him. “And I won’t forget how I discovered your dark secret… About loving Earth boy bands that sing cheesy love songs.”

They audience oohed and Tom flushed. “Look man, top forty hits are in the top forty for a reason! They’re catchy!”

“And you think the boys singing them are super cute,” Marco said.

“I…” Tom swallowed and looked away, brows narrowing. “They’re pretty.”

Star hurried up to the front, climbing up onto the raised platform their table was on and taking the mic. “I dated Tom before he ever met Marco, and oh, let me tell you. Tom used to straight up lie about liking these bands. He’d act all annoyed whenever I’d listen to them around him, when the whole time he liked them! So you know, maybe there was a reason he still ‘allowed’ me to put up a band poster in his room. Huh, Tommy?” She nudged him, and he playfully pushed her away. “But hey, I’m glad you two are together, and I hope you have a good relationship.”

Tom accepted the mic back. “Thanks, Star. And I’m sure we will. I seem to recall the very first time Marco and I played ping pong and he, word for word, told me he was good at ball sports.”

Marco spit out his drink and the crowd roared with laughter. Star herself was howling.

“You guys suck,” Marco said, covering his face.

“Aw, don’t be so shy,” Star said sweetly. “I’ve played ping pong with him. He's also very good with balls.”

Tom groaned and Star bounced over to stand between them, wrapping her arms around them and drawing them close so she could give each a kiss on the head. Then she was running off.

“Thanks, Star!” Marco yelled after her. She gave them a thumbs up. Tom’s parents were going to go last, so they waited to see if anyone else had anything to say.

A demoness who looked to be around Tom’s age came up. She possessed three eyes, similar to him and his mother.

“Oh, Ria!” Tom greeted her. “It’s been ages since we last hung out!”

“Hey, Thomas,” she said with a grin.

“Can you maybe not call me that?”

“Nah.” She took the mic, and gave him a quick hug. “Good to see you again, cuz.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he replied. To Marco, he explained. “This is my cousin, Ria. She has a longer name but she doesn’t like to be called by it.”

“What is it?” Marco asked. “Because like… If it’s Maria, or Victoria, you know those are really pretty…”

“It’s Mariabella,” she said. “Which is like two syllables too long. Just call me Ria, okay, hot stuff?”

“Uh… Sure.”

“I personally think my sister chose a lovely name for you,” Christine said. “She almost named you Jacqueline.” Ria visibly winced. “Yes, Charlotte always had a thing for being unnecessarily loquacious. That sweet talking hussy.”

“And yet you’re the one I chose to marry,” Judas cooed. She stomped on his foot.

Ria turned to her cousin. “Ah, Tom. We didn’t get to hang out too much growing up but I always liked seeing you. You took so much after your dad back then. The slightest thing would make you blow up. Literally. Mom made you the wrong sandwich? You’d blow it up. You don’t like the particular episode of the show we were watching? The TV would be reduced to a pile of slag. So many things destroyed by your temper.” She tapped on his horn. “You’re the reason we couldn’t have nice things. And yet, here you are. You’re calm and getting ready to be king. I sure hope you don’t do to us like you did to the poor citizens of the castle we built when we were six.” She turned to look at everyone else. “We were under siege, and you know what he did? Just decided everyone could eat each other! It was great! The enemy came in and found an empty castle! Everyone eaten! What a bloodbath! I mean obviously there was one guy left. He got impaled when the bad guys ran in. Yep, Tom will be an excellent strategist! Try not to kill us, man.”

Tom replied, “Ah, I was young and stupid…”

“You still are.”

“Rude. Anyway, I would never do that to real people.”

“He also set the entire castle on fire,” Ria added. “That way no one won. Haha, I have more but they’d take all day. Love ya, cuz, and good luck.” She ruffled his hair, said a brief hello to her aunt, and left to sit down again.

Clericus came forward, and Tom straightened.

“Hey big guy, decided to leave your nest to celebrate with us?” he called.

“Oh Tom, your tongue is sharp,” Clericus said, taking the microphone so everyone could hear him. “Now if only I could say the same of your mind.”

That got some cackling.

Tom gave him an affronted look. “Wow! I spend all day slaving over a hot textbook, and this is the thanks I get?”

Clericus kept the same serene expression and tone he usually did when teaching, even as he said, “I wish you had studied history as deeply as you had studied your comic books in class.”

Tom laughed it off.

Clericus wrapped around the table, setting a hand on Marco’s shoulder. “By comparison, Marco was an absolutely delightful student, listening to my every word, even if it was boring him out of his mind. Other than me catching him reading adult literature while on break, he was a delight to have in my library.”

Marco blushed. “What? I… I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“Mhm. Sure you don’t. As long as you enjoyed reading Passion in the Second Circle, that’s all that matters.”

Marco sunk down in his seat at the responding claps and call of, “Get some!” among more suggestive comments.

“You do realize he can stretch himself high enough to see over the bookshelves, right?” Tom said to Marco.

“I do now.”

“But you have both been good students,” Clericus said. “I hope you continue to see me if you have any questions. There’s so much left you have to learn. Good luck.” He put the mic down and slithered away.

Things proceeded in that fashion. Most people didn’t know much about Marco so they left him alone, but Tom got ripped into. Some insults were fairly tame, but others were savage. Someone who had apparently lost a championship ping pong tournament to him called him a “horned bull-looking motherfucker” as he criticized his playing tactics. And then he said that he hopes Tom isn’t as fast in the bedroom as he is at the table, leading to Marco choking and Tom nearly dying with laughter.

The guy clapped Tom on the back and said he hoped to see him again in the stadium, and then gave him a proper congratulations before walking off.

Once they had gotten through everyone who wanted to speak, Tom’s parents took the stage. Judas started. “Well we’ve heard a lot of interesting things about you, but hey, no need to dwell on the past! The future is what’s important. But I won’t let you get away without one more story. That first time I ever tried to teach you to fight with a weapon. Oh, you were so young and angry. This was ages before you ever decided to take anger management. You were just like me but with your mother’s cleverness to go along with it. But I gave you a sword, and your first instinct was to begin wildly swinging it around and stabbing everything in sight, which nearly included me! The more I tried to get you on track, the more vicious you got. I have to say, you gave me hope that day. But eventually I managed to teach you. You calmed down and paid attention, and started to enjoy learning how to sword fight. You progressed fast. And I knew that you were going to be a great king. Even if you since calmed down, you still have that fire in you, and I can’t wait to see you use it.”

Tom smiled. “Thanks, Dad.”

Christine accepted the microphone and walked behind her son, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Oh, Thomas. What can I say about you that hasn’t already been said? You’re brave, smart, and compassionate. You’re very different from the other demons of our lineage, and I must say, I’m uncertain about it. But I believe you have what it takes to rule the kingdom, and your husband will keep you on track. And if it all goes horribly wrong and the Underworld falls into shambles, well… it won’t be my problem anymore.” She pinched his cheek, making him scowl. “Once you’re in charge, it’s all up to you. I hope you’re ready for the responsibility.”

“I’ve been training for eighteen years, I’m more than ready,” Tom said.

“Good.” Christine walked over to Marco, running a hand up one of his horns before pushing him, none too gently. “As for you, Marco. You came here completely unannounced a month ago, and Tom told us he would be marrying you. I was not happy. I had chosen many fine demonesses for you to marry and instead you bring me this simple-blooded citizen from some town no one cares about. I didn’t see anything notable about him. A fast study but not extraordinary, and he was clumsy and ill-mannered. I said nothing though, simply tried to guide the boy the best I could.”

“You let the royal combat instructor beat me up,” Marco said.

“It was a learning opportunity, and guess what? You learned. I was expecting that to send you packing, but through either stupidity or determination, you stayed. You kept training, you learned what you would need to do, and you’ve become… adequate. I expect you to continue your lessons once you’re a lord. And never forget that Tom is the one with royal blood, not you. Let him make the big political decisions for the next few years, okay?”

Marco snorted. “Sure. But I’ll weigh in on them nonetheless.”

“Of course you will.” Christine rolled her eyes. “You really are foolish to come out of nowhere and marry the prince like this, and now everyone in the Underworld knows your name. Watch yourself, Marcus, or you may just find a knife in your back.”

Marco swallowed, and she raised her glass. He raised his, along with everyone else. He stared at her eyes, but her expression was unreadable. She drank, and he did the same.

“Good luck,” Christine said. “You’ll need it.”

“Thanks,” he replied. He idly rubbed his stomach, remembering yesterday. He definitely knew to watch himself.


	18. Coronation

Opening gifts took nearly an hour, even with the pair trying to do it quickly. They received many fine clothes, paintings and other decorations, oddities from other realms, things that glowed and hummed and granted them blessings, and plenty of money. Everything was cataloged by their steward so they could send out formal thanks afterward, and they had their servants take the items to place them in a storage room near their bedroom for them to sort through later. Some gifts were more personal, like the dual battle axes with diamond blades from Judas, which had Tom and Marco's names engraved on them. Judas explained it was so they matched when they finally charged into battle together. Very unique and thoughtful, the couple assured him. And Christine gave them an entire barrel of aged fine wine that she claimed was over a thousand years old, saying it was all for them to enjoy.

Marco's parents gave them necklaces that were fairly plain compared to the rest of the gifts, but the matching silver pendants containing photos of each demon's husband were priceless to the two, and they thanked them endlessly, immediately putting them on.

Star provided them with tokens from Mewni, giving them her blessing. The actual items were crystals cut to look like five-pointed stars. They were a beautiful shade of blue and the particular gemstone only existed on Mewni. Tom and Marco could feel the magic humming within them, and held the gems close to their chests to just feel the alien heartbeat. It was invigorating, and they thanked her before carefully handing the tokens off to a servant, along with a threat to take very good care of them or else.

Janna was bold, advising the newlyweds not to open hers at the reception, wait until tonight when they were alone. Understanding, Marco turned red and Tom laughed and winked at her, agreeing.

A few times, one of them would have to stop partway through opening something, sensing dark magic within it. They would compare between each other, and then call over Archedon. Several cursed items were discovered and then destroyed, each time to jeers and suspicious looks from the audience. If they could, they rooted out whoever had given the present and had them hauled off to the dungeon. Others escaped. No matter, the mood was too high to be bothered by it.

Indeed, they even started keeping score, and Tom would declare, “Another ring! How cliché!” as he just incinerated an entire box, wrapping and all, in front of the crowd.

And Marco would feel a curse and shake his head with disappointment, saying, “Well I give this curse a four out of ten but really, you couldn't have hidden it on something cheaper? I mean these snake scale boots would be gorgeous if not for this spell that would cut my feet off! So disappointing. Maybe we can just remove the spell and still use the boots.”

But finally they were done, and they gave some closing remarks before releasing everyone to get ready for the afternoon's event. Tom and Marco were the first to leave, and were led to where they needed to be while the guests were left to their own devices.

Preparing for the coronation took even longer than preparing for the wedding. Marco was relieved that he and Tom were able to remain together this time, though. They were tended to in the same large dressing room, as their previous outfits were taken to be cleaned and they were helped into the new ones. They were adorned in matching plum suits with long coats, and their makeup was scrubbed away and replaced with much more subtle accents. Both were coerced into having their hair slicked back and styled, neat and proper behind their ears.

Marco was immediately struck by how much older he looked just from those minor alterations, staring at his reflection. It suddenly hit him where he was, what he was about to do, and his legs shook. He clutched at his stomach, breathing rapidly.

His attendants took a couple steps back, and Tom turned to him.

“You okay?” he asked.

Marco nodded, mouth drawing into a tight frown. “Y-yeah, just... stomachache. Ate too many ribs.”

Tom glanced at the concerned servants, and waved his hand. “Leave us.”

“But sir, we have to-”

“Leave!” Tom barked firmly. They scattered backward but didn't fully leave the room. He closed his eyes, composing himself, and said more calmly, “Just give us one minute alone, then you can return, alright?”

They nodded and walked out. Tom immediately gripped Marco's arms and sank onto his knees, drawing him down with him. “Come on, sit down for a moment, and just breathe.”

Marco was shaking, throat clenching, he felt like he was suffocating. But he knelt in front of the other, and Tom took his hands, holding them gently.

“That's it. Don't hold it in, just let it out.”

“I just...” Marco closed his eyes. “It's almost here. I'm about... I'm about to be coronated. They're going to crown me... Lord of the Underworld. Alongside you. It's... I'm way too young for this, I have no clue what I'm doing, what if they don't like me, what if they keep trying to kill me? I...”

“It doesn't matter what they think. And you can do this. You're so smart, you can do anything you put your mind to. I know it's scary, I'm nervous too, but we'll do it together.”

“I'm going to get up there in front of everyone and look absolutely ridiculous, I'm going to mess up my lines, it's...”

“Marco, please.” Tom hugged him, draping his wings around him, and Marco had to rest his chin on his shoulder. “You're not going to mess up. We've done it a hundred times. Just follow along to Zed's prompting. Talk to the various royals that come up. There will be lights on us, you'll hardly notice the people watching, and you know that the throne room is really big so they're just gonna be all along the sides, not that close to us. We just gotta do our thing. It'll be fine. Trust me.”

“Okay. Yeah, it's... okay.” Slowly, Marco stood up, arms linked around Tom's middle. He looked down for a few moments, then raised his gaze to his face. Tom smiled at him, and Marco leaned up to kiss him. “Thanks.”

“No problem. What you're feeling is normal. I'm here for you, alright?”

“Yeah.” Marco stepped away, smoothing out his clothes, and soon the servants returned. They approached cautiously, but Tom nodded and welcomed them back with an apology, and they got back to work. Marco tried not to look so much at himself, but rather watched Tom in the mirror. His partner – his _husband_ , he reminded himself with a small thrill – looked very handsome in his raiment, as a gold circlet was settled on his head and matching bands placed around his wrists. Their outfits right now were elegant but simple, as they would be receiving more adornments as part of the coronation. Mostly they were just reminded of everything they would be wearing, and practiced the ceremony piece by piece from memory.

Marco wasn't able to settle his nerves. He paced, he messed with his hair, he chewed on his lips. One of the servants had to stop him several times so they could fix him up again, and finally Tom suggested he just stand still. Marco then fidgeted, and Tom took his hand.

“Remember when we first started hanging out and you took me to the zoo?” Tom said quietly.

Marco thought about it, then nodded. “Yeah.”

“I'd never seen so many different Earth animals in one place before. I was so excited to look at them, see them for real instead of in books. I'm sure you noticed but we don't exactly have a lot of animals down here. We've got massive boars. There are vultures. Snakes, jaguars with huge fangs... and much scarier stuff. But Earth... Earth has so much diversity, so many beautiful creatures, and I loved seeing them.”

Marco relaxed as he recalled one of their first stops. “You just couldn't wait to feed the giraffes. You kept talking about how weird they looked, and when the one reached its head over the fence to you, you nearly squealed.”

Tom laughed, and Marco couldn't help but smile. “Yeah, I just couldn't believe I was feeding such a big animal right out of my hand. I still remember how slimy its tongue was.”

Marco chuckled. “You wiped your hand off on me afterward.”

“And you got me back by wiping yours off on me. Oh man. Then we saw the elephants, and camels, and lions... And the aviary!” Tom's eyes lit up. “The tropical bird aviary was the best! Those birds had so much personality.”

“Heh, yeah, they didn't seem to like you much.”

“Nah, but birds are really smart. They sensed where I was from and decided they didn't want to deal with that. They still took my food though.”

“Of course.” Marco squeezed Tom's hand, feeling better. Still nervous, but it was more manageable, as long as he kept his mind off of the coronation. “The bats were cool.”

“I liked the bats. Made me think of how one day I would be getting these.” Tom lifted one of his wings, giving it a flick. “I wonder what those bats would think of my wings. Would they see me as one of them? Or just avoid me?”

“Probably avoid you, you may have wings but the rest of you is pretty un-batlike.”

“True. Though I don't know, my ears kinda look like a bat's.” Tom moved them up and down.

“Can you use echolocation?”

“...No.”

“Then sorry.” Marco flicked his nose. “Not a bat.”

Tom playfully bit at his finger but missed. Marco poked his cheek, and this time Tom managed to grab it, but he only held on and growled. Laughing, Marco tugged his finger free. “Weirdo.”

Tom nuzzled him. “You love me.”

“I do.” Marco slid an arm around him, content. “I'm so ready to get this over with.”

“You know...” Tom glanced at the servants, but as last they were being left mostly to themselves, the other demons chatting about the upcoming event. He looked back at Marco. “Afterward is the dinner banquet, of course. Dancing and all that fun. But then? We get to take off on our honeymoon. The kingdom can handle itself for a few days.”

“Oh... oh! A honeymoon! Oh man, I haven't even thought about that, I... where should we go?”

“I don't know. Where do you want to go? I'm fine with anywhere that isn't down here.”

Marco thought it over, then said, “We really should have planned for this in advance, everything nice would be so expensive...”

“That's fine, we have the money. Seriously, don't think about the money. Where do you want to go?”

There were so many choices. Marco hesitantly said, “Well, there's a lot of places, but... there is one really cliché one I wouldn't mind going to... I've always wanted to visit it, and if you want...”

“Where? I don't mind clichés. I'll be happy wherever we go because you'll be there with me.”

Marco kissed him, and said, “Alright. How about Hawaii?”

Tom nodded. “Sounds fun. I've always wanted to visit the beach.”

“You've never been to a beach?”

“I've been to an Underworld beach. But those border magma oceans. Not exactly the same as beaches on Earth, I'm sure.”

Marco shook his head. “Heh, no. Our beaches border oceans. You know, with water.”

“Fascinating. Yeah, I've seen pictures. And Hawaii looks gorgeous. If that's where you want to go, we can go.”

“Yeah. I'd really like that.”

Tom agreed. “I'll have someone go ahead and make the arrangements.”

Marco wrapped him into a hug. “You're the best!”

“I know.” Tom kissed him, swaying him back and forth.

They were soon meekly reminded to continue their preparations. Which really only involved rehearsing; the big preparations were being done in the throne room by others. There was more waiting involved than anything else. They probably spent nearly an hour doing nothing except standing around and talking. But finally they were told it was time.

Marco swallowed, nerves taking over again, but Tom held his hand as they walked out, and he managed not to shake. They occasionally passed someone, but almost everyone was in the throne room. The ones who weren't either had something really important to attend to, or were hurrying toward it.

“This is gonna be huge,” Tom said. “There's gonna be so many people. Other royalty. High ranking officials. And of course the whole affair will be televised.” Marco gulped. “Live.”

“Ohh god.” Marco stopped, setting a hand on the wall and retching. Luckily nothing came up but it hurt.

Tom quickly wrapped an arm around him, holding him close. “It's okay, look, just take deep breaths. You're okay. You're okay. Say it with me.”

“I'm... I'm gonna ruin the entire coronation.”

“No you won't. Please, look at me.” He lifted Marco's chin so he could gaze into his eyes. “You'll be fine. I'm going to be right there with you. We've practiced this so many times, you can do it. Just believe in yourself. Say you're okay.”

“I'm... I'm okay.” Marco pushed himself upright. “How are you not scared?”

“Honestly? I'm terrified. But it's going to be fine. Trust me.”

Marco nodded and kept walking, holding Tom's hand again. He focused on breathing, keeping his breaths slow and steady. It won't take long, he assured himself. Just get through it, and he could scream and throw up later if needed. He couldn't let the rest of the kingdom see him like this.

They reached the ornate granite doors of the throne room. Two servants bowed to them, and they greeted Tom's parents, who were clad in ceremonial capes lined with thick fur. They wore crowns and Judas held a staff, which they knew would be handed off to them later.

“This is your day,” Judas said. He beamed at them. “I'm so proud of you. But no time for chitchat, it's about to start.” Fanfare began inside the room, and he turned. “Oh, there's our cue! You know when to enter.”

“Don't mess this up,” Christine said, looking directly at Marco. The doors were pushed open, and the two strode inside, to much applause. Through the doorway, Tom and Marco could see people standing as they clapped. Other members of the court went in too, going to take their places around the room.

Tom and Marco entered last. They kept their eyes forward, expressions calm and dignified as they walked in. Through their peripherals they could see the stands on either side of the hall packed with people. Crimson silk draped across the walls, dark flowers decorating them, and the fireplace in the back of the room was roaring, its flame high and nearly blue in its intensity. They approached the dais where the king and queen sat on their thrones, and the two stood to face them. The demon who had performed Tom's fledging ceremony, Zed, stood between them, holding an ancient leather-bound book.

The room fell silent when the princes stepped up onto the dais, no one wanting to miss a word.

“Esteemed citizens of the Underworld, thank you for gathering here today to recognize our princes as they are granted sovereignty over the Underworld. Just as you have pledged loyalty to them, they will now pledge loyalty to the laws set by those before them, and honor their predecessors,” Zed said. He looked at Tom and Marco. “Do you promise to govern our land according to our laws and customs?”

“We promise,” they said in unison.

“Will you use wisdom in all executions of your power, especially as it pertains to handling matters of law and justice, during which the eyes of the land will be upon you?”

“We promise.”

“If our land comes under threat of attack or invasion, do you promise to protect and guide us, to lead our armies into battle, to deal swift retribution to our enemies and ensure our continued safety?”

Neither planned on using violence as a first response, but still they answered, “We promise.”

“Finally, in all things do you swear to rule with pride, to strive to better the kingdom in every way, to do all not just for yourselves, but for us all?”

They gave a solemn nod. “All of this, we promise to do. We will keep and perform all the duties that have been assigned to us, on this we swear our lives.”

Zed closed the book. “Then it shall be so. You shall take your rightful place as our undoubted king and lord.” He bowed his head and stepped back, and Judas and Christine stepped forward.

“There comes a time when all must pass on their responsibilities,” Judas announced, voice easily loud enough to fill the room. “The Queen and I have the great pleasure of passing on ours to these bright young men. To Thomas, our son. And to Marcus, who he has chosen to wed.”

“It will not be easy,” Christine continued. “It will be daunting. It will be time-consuming. At times it may even be perilous and you may wish to give the role to someone else. But in being crowned you are accepting that you must shoulder the weight until the time comes that a rightful heir is ready to receive it. There is no easy way out. This responsibility is yours alone. Do you understand?”

“Perfectly,” Tom said, and Marco agreed.

“Very well, then.” She and Judas lifted the ceremonial staff, holding it out horizontal to the ground. Tom and Marco took it, twirling it and setting it down firmly between them with a clink that echoed through the room.

“On this day, we bestow the title of the King and Lord of the Underworld unto you,” Judas said. He unfastened the clip for his cape, Christine doing the same. They removed them and stepped behind the pair, draping them across their shoulders and clasping them into place. Then they stepped back in front of them, lifting their crowns from their heads.

Tom set his shoulders, and Marco did the same, heart pounding. His arms were hidden from view by the cape, and he anxiously wiped his hands off on his pants. The crowns were elegantly placed on their heads.

“May you rule with much strength and wisdom,” Christine said, and she and her husband stood to the sides, bowing their heads. Tom and Marco took a few steps, turned, and seated themselves on the thrones. They held their heads high.

“Honored guests, allow me to present to you... King Thomas and Lord Marcus,” Zed called.

The audience burst into applause. Shrill, energetic fanfare played from both sides of the room. Military officers saluted and the lower ranking members raised their guns in salute as well. Flags were displayed, and somewhere high above, a deep bell was tolling.

The new rulers continued to hold the staff between them, and once the noise died down, they finally handed it off to Zed. The ceremony wasn't over yet.

“As is tradition, the new rulers get to decide the fate of their predecessors,” Zed reminded them. There were hushed whispers among the crowd, particularly from those who had witnessed the last coronation, dozens of years ago.

Judas and Christine kept their bearing, eyes down.

“Yes... I've read about how the coronation of my parents went,” Tom said. He rested his head on his hand, looking between the two. “Quite a sordid affair, that one was. But you know what? I am not my father.” He set his expression. “Mother, Father?”

They looked up at him. “Yes, your highness?” Judas asked.

Tom gave them the smallest of smiles. “You will continue to live out your lives here, as our advisers. We will no doubt be needing your assistance as we get settled in, so I'd like for you to stay here.”

The relief from the crowd was almost palpable. Demons may enjoy violence but no one particularly liked seeing a new monarch call for the beheading of their own parents. Judas and Christine bowed once more. “Of course.” They moved to stand to the side of the room, and now the other members of the court came forward to pay homage.

First came the steward, Dreyak, who has been long faithful to the family. Each new monarch had the chance to dismiss him. Each one chose to keep him. He has always been diligent in his duties and was quite likable on top of that. Tom had fond memories of spending time with him when his parents were too busy to talk to him.

“I, Dreyak the steward, swear to continue to serve you faithfully, my lords,” he promised. “I will be here to manage your day to day affairs, to ensure you keep your schedules, to accompany you and take notes during meetings, and to do whatever else you ask of me. If, of course, you choose to allow me.”

“Dreyak, old friend, of course,” Tom said kindly. “You've always done your job well and I don't think I've ever heard my parents say an unkind word about you. I welcome you as part of my court.”

“Bless you, Tom... or should I say, King Thomas?”

“Heh... you can still just call me Tom.”

Dreyak smiled and reached out to take Tom's hand, reverently kissing the back of it, and then turning to Marco, doing the same with his. Then he stepped down and allowed the next person to speak to them.

They received homage from close peers, from those who would be working directly for them in various departments. The treasurer, Archedon the Mage, Clericus the Historian, Grandmaster Talamor, and many others. It grew tiring repeating the same affirmations to each, but it had to be done. The army's chief of staff, a four-star general with countless ribbons, was one of the last to speak to them, and made quite a speech about the ferocity and commitment of his troops, letting the monarchs know that they would be ready to fight at a moment's notice. He saluted them with a flourish once he was done, and then turned smartly on his heel and marched away. The two couldn't help but exchanged bemused looks.

At last, the ceremony was able to come to a completion. Tom and Marco weren't expected to give their own remarks until the banquet, so once Zed gave the final word, they stood. The Underworld anthem played and everyone else stood as well, and the new rulers were the first to walk out, their capes streaming across the floor behind them before a couple of small goblins ran up and ducked under them, lifting them. The two smiled and waved to their citizens, and they were followed by Tom's parents, and then everyone who had come up to pay homage.

In order to accommodate the additional people that had arrived for the coronation, they would be having the banquet outside in the garden.

“I don't think I'm ready to eat again so soon,” Marco commented.

“I think you'll change your mind once you smell the food,” Tom said.

“Heh, yeah.”

Tom took his hand. “I told you the coronation wouldn't be so bad. How do you feel?”

“Oh man. I was so nervous throughout it, but you were right, it really wasn't so bad, just... more tedious than anything. But... it's done. It's done, we're... we're in charge.” Marco touched the crown on his head, running a finger over its points. “I'm the Lord of the Underworld. I can't believe it, I know it's been a month but... wow it's just flown by, this still feels so sudden...”

“Aren't you glad I asked you to marry me?”

Marco blushed. “At the time I thought it was just going to be to get your parents to leave you alone, we would just be friends like always. But... wow. We're actually together, we love each other, and we're married. It's... well, it's everything I could ever want.”

“I'm glad you're happy.”

“I'm glad you're happy too.”

They were outside now, alongside countless other people, making their way to the long tables that were decorated and waiting for the first course to be served. Only when they took their seats did everyone else do the same, and Marco's hand immediately went to Tom's leg under the table, gently gripping his thigh. “Could today get any more perfect?”

“It could,” Tom mused. “You could kiss me, Lord Marco.”

Marco tried not to giggle but he ended up snorting instead. “Absolutely, my king.” He leaned in to kiss him, and Tom wrapped his arms around him and dragged him closer, making out with him.

At an Earth coronation, it would probably be seen as inappropriate. But this was the Underworld, and the only response they got was overwhelming support. Along with catcalls. They were both blushing when they separated, grinning and so, so in love. All the important ceremonies had gone off without a hitch. Now they were looking forward to the rest of the day. Just had to go through this early dinner, attend the evening ball, likely help themselves to another buffet, and then they could finally take off on their honeymoon. They couldn't wait.


	19. The Ball

Once dinner was done, Marco and Tom had maybe an hour to relax and change back into their wedding outfits, their ceremonial capes taken to be stored away until the next coronation. They went to their room to spend some alone time together, and now all the emotions finally kicked in.

Marco happily wrapped his arms around Tom and kissed him all over, and Tom laughed, grinning between eager kisses. He ended up lifting Marco up and setting him on his hips, sitting on the bed and just snuggling with him.

Marco ran his hands up through Tom’s hair, gazing into his kind eyes, memorizing every detail. He felt like his chest was going to burst, he was so in love. And now they were finally crowned. They were the new monarchs of the Underworld. He never could have dreamed of being in such a powerful position, but here he was, and he just couldn’t contain his excitement.

“You’re so handsome when you smile,” Tom said.

Marco blushed. “Oh, stop.”

“No, seriously, you are. You look so happy and I love you more every time you smile. You’re perfect.”

“Nobody’s perfect.” Marco looked away, bashful.

“Hm, maybe not. But you’re pretty close then.” Tom rested his head against Marco’s chest. “Think we should see what Janna got us? Since she said not to open it in public?”

“Oh, yeah. Let’s do that.”

Their gifts were in the nearby storage room as they had requested. They went to get the one that hadn’t been opened, returning to their room.

“Knowing Janna, it’s gonna be something really inappropriate,” Marco said as he unwrapped it and worked the box open.

“Probably,” Tom agreed. “She really has a great sense of humor though, so…” He trailed off as Marco extracted the contents of the box.

Marco stared at the silicon object he had picked up first. It was immediately obvious what he was holding, and he quickly put it down. “Well then.”

“Is that a dildo?”

“I… Yeah.”

“Damn.” Tom picked it up, laughing. “Thing’s like eight inches long, holy shit! And it’s… Why does it look like some mythical creature’s dick?”

Marco groaned. “Janna once thought it’d be fun to show me a website that sold fantasy dildos. We laughed over the crazy designs and… This is actually one that I, jokingly mind you, said might feel interesting. She actually remembered. Oh my God, Janna.”

Tom waved it, testing how flexible it was, and nodded. “How thoughtful of her. I’m sure we’ll put it to use.”

That made Marco turn red. He looked up at Tom, thoughts briefly turning dirty, and then looked back down at the box. He didn’t know how to address the subject of them sleeping together, so for now, he didn’t.

“Anything else in there?” Tom asked.

“Yeah. She provided us with some lube.” Marco showed him the decent-sized bottle. “And… What is this…” He read the package. “A bullet vibrator. I’m…”

Tom was laughing so hard. “She really wants us to have sex, doesn’t she?”

“Guess so.” Marco finally found an envelope at the bottom and opened it. Inside was a card. The congratulations message was fairly standard, but Janna had written a note to them.

 _For tonight. No need to thank me. And congrats on the marriage by the way, you two are super cute together._ She had messily signed her name next to it.

“Yep. She wants us to be ready for our honeymoon,” Marco said, handing Tom the card.

“She’s so great, I’m glad Star’s marrying her,” Tom said. “Well, um… I guess I’ll make sure to bring these things to Hawaii with us?”

Marco chewed on his lip, then said, “So, tonight… are you really planning to… I mean, are we going to…” He gestured vaguely at the bed.

“If you want to,” Tom replied. “I… would really like to.” He took Marco’s hand, squeezing it. “We are married, after all. And it’d probably be really fun…”

“Yeah. Sure, I’d like that.” Marco returned everything to the box, and just sat back in Tom’s lap, holding him. Tom gently rubbed his back, and Marco rested his chin on his shoulder.

“We should probably head down to the ball,” Tom said after a few minutes.

“So much walking around, when can we finally chill?”

“We can chill in Hawaii. Come on, just a few more hours and then we’re free.”

Marco nodded and got up. They headed to the ballroom and were greeted warmly. A lot of people were already dancing, but they paused to watch as the two went to the center of the room. The string quartet exchanged some words, and then switched to a new song. One slow and romantic, and the pianist caught on and played along to it.

Tom took Marco’s hand, his other going to his husband’s waist. Marco’s free hand went to Tom’s shoulder, and they swayed back and forth. Once they got into the rhythm of the music, they began to waltz, following each other around in wide circles. The other guests soon returned to dancing as well, following their lead.

Marco loved dancing, and it was even better with Tom. They didn’t stop until the music faded out, and Tom spun him and dipped him back, ending with a kiss.

There was clapping, and they straightened up, fixing their clothes and making sure their crowns were still on straight. Then they headed over to the table that had been reserved for them, sitting down.

“I can’t wait to stop wearing dress shoes,” Marco said.

“Same.” Tom rubbed his ankle. “They look good but they start to hurt after a while.”

“Yeah, I think my big toes are getting crushed.”

“I’m sorry.”

They spent most of the ball just watching others dance, though they occasionally got up and joined in. They also talked to their friends and family, and Marco made sure he thanked Janna for the thoughtful gift. She actually did finger guns and walked backward away from him.

“I couldn’t stop her!” Star called in apology.

“It’s fine, really,” Marco laughed. “We got a kick out of it.”

At around eight, it was time for the new monarchs to give a speech. This was when the most people were anticipated to be here, so it was best to do it now, as the room was full.

They headed up onto the stage where the musicians were, and were handed a microphone.

“Is everyone having fun?” Tom asked.

Everyone responded with nods and whoops. A few raised glasses of wine in approval.

“Great! Wow, what a day. I am just… So pleased to be standing here today as your new king. It’s been a long road, there was a lot of work to do, but here I am. And my husband worked even harder than me, since he came into this really late. But I have faith he’ll be just as good as I. Maybe even better, he’s so clever.”

Marco blushed and tried to wave off the compliment. “Oh, you know. I try.”

“Yes, and it shows. Look at where you’re standing. The entire Underworld is yours to command. It’s a proud day.” Tom looked around, eyes lingering on his parents, and on Star and Janna, and on anyone else he was close to. “But as much as you serve us, we are here to serve you. We will do everything for the wellbeing of the kingdom. We will be fair, generous, understanding monarchs. We’re here to hear out any of your concerns or criticisms, so please, don’t be afraid to talk to us. We’ll always be willing to talk to our subjects. Of course I’ll always encourage first speaking to your local dukes, but if they can’t or won’t provide what you need, you may always contact us. We care about every single one of you.”

The others seemed surprised, but nodded and murmured to each other. Tom knew they would find his views unusual. His parents were very strict and merciless in their laws. They didn’t show near as much interest in helping the public. Tom was determined to change the common man’s perception of the government. He had a lot of work to do but he was confident he could implement change. He could help everyone understand the benefits of compassion and kindness. If he, the son of one of the most brutal kings in history, could be gentle and careful, so could everyone else.

“Is there anything you’d like to say?” Tom asked Marco.

Marco took the mic. “No, I think you pretty much covered it. But there is one thing… So I’m sure you guys are aware of what happened yesterday, news travels quickly and all, but… I nearly died due to someone poisoning one of my meals. Luckily I caught on quickly and was able to get an antidote in time. And I just want everyone to know… That is in no way acceptable, and if anyone ever tries to hurt me or Tom, we will find you, and we will make you regret it.” The air grew chilly around him, to the point that Tom shivered and the people closest to them took a few nervous steps back, their wine glasses frosting over.

Tom gently took the mic back. “Don’t worry, Marco. They won’t try anything. You’re in charge now. And we are a better, more civilized people than that, right?” He shot a glare at the crowd. “We have better ways of addressing those we don’t like, than just straight up trying to kill them, _right_?”

There were mutters, but generally the others seemed to agree. Probably just trying to save face, but Tom accepted it. The temperature returned to normal as Marco’s shoulders slumped. He turned to Tom, whispering, “Sorry, I don’t know what came over me…”

“It’s fine, you’re naturally more aggressive now, and you made a good point. Sometimes you have to be intimidating to get respect. But now that you are a monarch, the assassination attempts should slow. Before I could always marry someone else. Now if one of us is killed, that could just throw everything off balance and be an even worse situation than if there’s simply someone they don’t like in charge. But still, be careful. You never know what might happen.”

Marco nodded. He felt tired all of a sudden. Today has just been one emotional high after another and he’s spent far too much time around crowds. He really wanted to get out of here.

Tom talked to the crowd for a bit longer, then let them go back to dancing. He could tell his partner was still kinda tense, so he took his hands and danced with him. Marco enjoyed that, leading a few dances while Tom led others. They both had similar moves so they got into sync easily.

When they grew bored, they returned to their table. They talked over wine, and occasionally Tom would gesture for a servant to bring them snacks. They weren’t all that hungry though and mostly just had cheese cubes and other finger foods.

As they were talking, one of Tom’s ears suddenly flicked, and he said, “Hold on, someone’s trying to contact me.”

He turned and lifted his hand, and a small, shimmering portal opened up. It was the dungeon master, who he greeted. “Oh hey Balbus! What can I do for you?”

“Your guy expired,” Balbus grunted. In the background, Tom could just see Craig hanging limply from his chains, blood pooling below him.

“Oh, so he did,” Tom said.

Marco leaned in, looking through the portal to see behind Balbus. “Wait, who’s…”

“That’s the guy who tried to kill you,” Tom said. “I allowed Balbus to try and… convince him to tell me more about why he poisoned you. But it looks like he chose to die instead.”

Marco looked away. “Oh. Wow.”

Tom looked back at Balbus. “So, get anything out of him?”

“He started to speak right at the end, before he bled to death, but all I got was that whoever put him up to it was very influential. And that they might possibly try again, they really wanted Marco dead. But you have nothing to fear, you’re both very cautious. Congratulations, by the way. I watched a live feed of all the events. I gotta take care of this body though, any requests?”

Tom waved a hand dismissively. “Just… Cremate it. Inform the family. Standard procedure.”

“You’ve got it, sir. Good day.”

The portal blinked out of existence, and Tom sighed. “Well. Okay then.”

“So that guy… He was told by someone else to poison me?” Marco asked.

“Yeah. I don’t know who, but they’re still out there. I didn’t want to worry you.”

“No, I’m glad you told me. Now I know to be careful. Someone very influential… So perhaps a celebrity, or a royal…”

Tom shrugged. “Who knows, honestly? The only one who could tell us just died. Let’s not worry about it.”

“Okay.” Marco helped himself to some grapes.

The ball was winding down. The music had gotten mellow and people were saying goodbye to the couple before heading out. Marco got up to hug his parents before they left, thanking them for attending.

“Of course, it was a lot of fun,” Angie said with a smile. She clutched his hands, just looking at him, and then hugged him again. “Visit us, okay?”

“Of course,” Marco said.

“We’ll make those burritos you like,” Rafael said. “Just let us know a day in advance and we’ll have them ready for dinner.”

“Sounds great. We’ll definitely visit.” He watched them go, and then started when Tom’s parents were right there to take their place.

“Ah, guys, I needed to talk to you,” Tom said.

“Yes, your highness?” Christine asked as she pulled up a chair.

Tom chuckled. “I’m your son, you don’t have to call me that. Listen, I know you just handed off the crown to us, but… We’re gonna spend a few days on our honeymoon, think you and Dad can handle things until we get back?”

“Of course, dear. We still need to take care of some things so that will work out perfectly.”

Judas didn’t sit, just leaning over one of the chairs with his arms crossed on it. “So where are you going again?”

“Hawaii,” Marco replied, smiling just at the thought of it.

“Ooh, fancy! You sure you wanna hang around with humans, though?”

Tom shrugged. “Nothing wrong with humans. Besides we’ll probably spend most of it in our room, and visit the ocean at night when it’s less crowded. Humans can be paranoid around us but I think we’ll be okay if we go out in public.”

“If you say so. Just remember, you can always hypnotize them into ignoring you.”

“I’d uh… rather not.” Tom swirled his drink around. “I kinda got a thing against, you know, brainwashing people.”

“Oh Tom, you’re so thoughtful. Well, you do you, I guess. I’m just saying what I would do.”

“Well…” Tom glanced at his watch. “Oh wow, is it ten already? Well this has been quite a day, but I think it’s time for us to get going.” He stood, and Marco did too. He looked across the room, then whistled and called, “Dreyak!”

The steward nearly tripped several people in his haste to get to them. “Yes, my king?”

“Did you get those arrangements made for Hawaii?”

“Yes sir, here you are!” He handed Tom a slip of paper with the address and name of the hotel. “You’re booked for three days! And your room should have an ocean view! Is that suitable?”

“That’s perfect. Come on Marco, let’s get packed.”

Marco nodded and took his hand, and they said goodbye to Tom’s parents and the rest of the gathering. They exited to applause.

The moment they were back in their room, they were kicking their dress shoes off, sighing with relief. Suits and crowns were taken off, put away carefully, and then they changed into casual clothing. Shorts and t-shirts, which they also filled their suitcase with. It was just getting to be spring again on Earth but they were still looking forward to high seventies, maybe even eighties, in Hawaii.

They packed some books, their laptops, and after a few moments of consideration, stuffed the box containing Janna’s gifts in there too. Might as well.

Once toiletries were gathered, it was time to go. Taking each other’s hands, they went downstairs and outside, summoning their carriage. They were going to start off their honeymoon with style.


	20. Consummation

The desk clerk was startled when she looked up to see two horned demons in front of her, one of which had a third eye and wings, but she was completely professional nonetheless. “Good evening, how may I help you?”

“My name’s Thomas, I have a reservation here,” Tom said, getting out the paper Dreyak had given him. “My confirmation information is on here.” He showed her.

She accepted it, and then nodded in recognition. “Ah yes, the arrangement was made earlier today. Three days, correct?”

“Yep.” Tom waited while she looked him up in the computer.

“Here you are. So your room has already been paid for, let me just get you some cards…” She keyed a couple cards for them, passing them across the desk. “You’ll be in 412, one of our ocean view suites on the fourth floor. The ocean is a quick two minute walk down the beach, but we also have an indoor swimming pool and hot tub down that way.” She gestured. “We also have a fitness center, restaurant, and bar. There are signs or you could just ask one of the staff for directions.”

“Cool, thanks.” Tom accepted the cards.

The woman leaned over, looking past him to the carriage that was visible through the front door. “Oh, is that your… vehicle?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, don’t mind him, he won’t be staying.” Tom jogged over to the door, pushing it open. “Go home, skeleton horse. I’ll call you back once we’re ready to come home.”

“Yes, my king.” It sank into the ground amid flames, and Tom came back inside. The clerk was shocked.

“Yeah, best not mention that to anyone,” Tom said to her. “Man, I am beat. Come on Marco, let’s head upstairs.”

Marco nodded in agreement, lifting the suitcase, and they took an elevator up. It didn’t take long, and soon they were approaching their room.

Tom swiped the card and opened the door. The moment they stepped through, Marco gasped, eyes growing wide.

The room was large, a small kitchen and dining area to his left, and beyond that was a living room. It had a couch, coffee table, big screen TV, desk, and armchair. The window opposite had its curtains open, though it was too dark to see much through it but stars. A doorway led into a bedroom with a queen-sized bed and a second TV on the dresser. The two went to check it out, and Marco found that the bathtub was also a Jacuzzi.

He went to join Tom at the bedroom window, also open, and looked down at the ocean. The moonlight reflected off the water, and for a few moments they just watched the waves flow in and out, crashing over the shore only to retreat back to the depths. Despite the hour, people were still out. Mostly just walking, and there weren’t many.

Tom took Marco’s hand. “It’s so pretty out there.”

“Yeah.” Marco rested his head against his shoulder. “We’ll have to go check it out tomorrow.”

“Definitely. What do you want to do now?”

Marco went back to the living room, taking off his shoes and sinking onto the couch with a sigh. “I just want to relax.”

“So do I.” Tom followed his example. He sat next to him, and Marco shifted to lay down, feeling Tom stretch out behind him. He was so comfortable in his arms, and he started to doze to the feel of Tom’s breath on his neck, to his strong heartbeat against his back.

Still, he wasn’t able to quite fall asleep completely, and kept opening his eyes and yawning, shifting around.

“Hey, I got an idea,” Tom said. “You want to take a bath or something? We could test the Jacuzzi.”

Marco was fairly agreeable right now, enjoying Tom’s affection and just a little buzzed from the earlier wine. He nodded, sitting up. Tom led the way to the bathroom, and Marco just barely remembered to grab their toiletries from the suitcase and bring them with them. He knew Tom would be wanting to brush his hair afterward.

It was only when they were in the room, door closed and Tom pulling off his shirt, that Marco really focused enough to grasp the implications of what he agreed to.

“So, bathing together, huh?” he asked. “Heh, sounds intimate.”

“We already showered together,” Tom pointed out. “And we’re married, so…”

“I know, I’m just… kinda shy.”

Tom smiled, leaning in to kiss him. “I know. But you trust me, right?”

“Of course.”

“I want to spend time with you. And I think you’re beautiful. You don’t have to hide your body around me.”

Marco blushed, taking his own shirt off. He still averted his gaze when Tom reached down to his pants. He resolutely looked at the wall as he finished undressing. Tom had already turned on the water, and he glanced over to see him climbing in.

“Mm, that’s nice.” Tom sank in further, sighing out. “Could be hotter, but it’ll do. C’mon Marco, I don’t bite.”

“You sure?” Marco asked. He had dropped most of his clothes but was still covering his crotch with his boxers, bashful.

Tom smiled at him, resting an arm on the edge of the tub. “I’ll only bite if you want me to.”

Marco snorted, and finally let go of the clothing. He stepped into the tub and quickly sank down to sit opposite from Tom.

“There, see?” Tom said once he was comfortable. “No big deal.” He stretched, and cupped some water to dump onto his head. Then he turned to check out the complimentary soaps. “Ooh, look. Vanilla shampoo.”

“How cute.” Marco flicked one of the small bottles, knocking it over. He quickly righted it again.

“Hey, waterbender Diaz, got any new tricks?”

Marco looked down at the water, then lifted his hands, focusing. It trembled, small waves passing through it as if a pebble had been dropped in, and then he began to rock it back and forth, letting it build higher and higher. Then he sent waves rolling toward Tom, washing over him and then dragging him so that he slipped further down, chin briefly going under. He quickly straightened, laughing. “Okay, don’t drown me.”

Becoming more confident as Tom teased him, Marco twisted his wrist. The water spiraled up, and then he let it splash back down. They both laughed at that, and Marco beamed, comfortable now. He relaxed against the back of the tub, just admiring how Tom looked with water streaming down him, his hair damp and getting in his eyes, a flush on his face from the heat of the water. He was very handsome, even with his make-up washing off and running messily down his cheeks.

Marco got up on his knees, moving closer to him, and reached up to rub his thumb against the make-up. With some effort, he was able to get it off. Tom waited patiently, just watching him. Once Marco sat back, Tom returned the favor, cleaning his face off. Then he moved to sit on his lap, pressing a kiss to his lips.

Marco’s hands automatically went to Tom’s waist, and he tilted his head to kiss back. He’s never bathed with Tom before and he’s definitely never kissed him in the tub, and he shivered at just how erotic it was. Tom was so warm, and Marco closed his eyes as he savored how nice his skin was against his.

Marco was pushed back against the wall as they moved on to heavier making out, aware of Tom’s palms stroking his sides and up and down his stomach. When Tom slid his hands over his chest, Marco let out a soft moan, and they leaned apart to catch their breath.

“You look good,” Tom said. Marco swallowed, blinking at him. The air was filled with steam. He realized the water was bubbling slightly; Tom's emotions were rising. Luckily, this time they were good ones. Tom reached back to turn off the water; it was quite high enough by now.

Marco took in how he looked perched on his hips, seeing through the water to the rest of Tom’s body. He ran his hands along Tom’s thighs, blushing when Tom casually rested them further apart. He has been trying not to think about it, but now he couldn’t stop wondering what it would be like to go all the way with him. It would be safe, and careful, and it should be fun… Marco’s never had sex but he’s certainly read enough about it.

Tom seemed to read his mind, shifting his hips to rub against him. Marco tensed at the intimate touch, a pleased shiver going up his spine. “Ahh, Tom…”

Tom smiled and leaned in, lips ghosting over Marco’s. “Wanna move to the bed?”

“I… Yeah.” Marco sat up, fumbling for the edge of the tub while also trying to keep Tom in his lap. He used magic to pull the plug, letting the water drain out, and stood. He had intended to carry Tom, but it was a little awkward with how he was taller, not to mention how his wings got crushed against Marco’s arms which resulted in them instinctively flaring open to relieve the pressure.

Tom scrambled down out of his arms, laughing and just hugging him instead, kissing his neck.

“T-Tom, c’mon, I gotta get dried off,” Marco protested, trying to reach the towel rack, but Tom had a firm grip on his waist.

“No you don’t,” Tom said playfully, pressing his lips to Marco’s collarbone, and then nibbling lightly.

Marco’s legs shook, heat coiling in his gut. He managed to pull the other along so he could finally grab two towels. “I don’t want to get the bed all wet. Here.” He dropped one onto Tom’s head. That was enough to make him back off, pulling the towel off his horns and drying off.

Marco was more than aware that Tom was checking him out, and though it somewhat flustered him, he was also pretty comfortable. They’ve been together for quite a while now, it felt natural. He returned the favor, looking him over, eyes lingering for a moment on his groin before continuing on. Tom noticed.

“See something you like?” he teased.

“Yeah. I uh… like everything I see.” Marco immediately cringed at how awkward that was.

Tom just smiled though, and gently flicked his nose. “Cute. You don’t have to be shy, I love you and all your little quirks.”

“Even when I say cringey stuff?”

“Especially when you say cringey stuff.” Tom kissed him. Once he leaned back, he said, “Alright, let’s move to the bed.”

Marco nodded, blushing. He followed him out, carelessly dropping his towel. He sat on the edge of the bed, and Tom went to their suitcase, sorting through it. Then he took out the dildo, grinning.

Marco immediately crossed his legs. “No.”

Tom laughed and dropped it back in. “I’m kidding, I’m not using that for a first time. I want our first time to be just us, nice and intimate.” He just grabbed the lube instead, and brought it over to set on the table next to the bed. Then he returned to Marco, who was still sitting nervously on the side of the bed, and slipped between his legs, kneeling down to kiss him.

It was nice and slow, and Marco relaxed into it, running his hands through Tom’s hair. He felt perfect, warm and soft, and Marco’s hesitation faded. He wanted him. Feeling Tom’s hands on his waist, he lowered his own, covering them for a moment. Then he wrapped his arms around Tom’s middle and shifted, pulling him up onto the bed with him.

Tom leaned back with a breathless laugh, opening his eyes, and Marco’s heart pounded at the love he saw within them. With some effort, he pulled himself back into a more comfortable position, laying on his back with his head propped up by the excessive amount of pillows behind him. Tom sat calmly between his legs, looking for all the world like he belonged there, just admiring him.

“Have uh… you ever had sex before?” Marco asked, figuring he might as well make conversation.

“Hm…” Tom thought about it, then admitted, “Yes, actually. See, demons aren’t as shy about this as humans are. Our society doesn’t have a taboo on it at all, so we tend to explore our sexuality from a fairly young age. I have… I’ll say, played around with others my age, but… None of that was anything like this. That was just to get a feel for things. I’m still going to consider this to be my first time.”

Marco nodded. “Right. Well, it’s… my first time in general, so… you know, if I mess up or anything, sorry in advance.”

Tom laughed. “You don’t need to apologize for anything! I don’t know what you’ve seen in porn or whatever but sex isn’t this perfect, flawless thing. It’s messy, it’s awkward, you’re going to make weird noises or faces, you might jab me with your elbow or headbutt me, and it’s all fine! It’s fun and as long as we enjoy it, that’s what matters.”

“Right.” Marco relaxed, nodding. It wasn’t so serious, he reminded himself. Just have fun.

Tom kissed him, and Marco tilted his head, lips parting as he responded. Tom’s hands ran up his body, nails scraping against his skin, and a shudder went through him.

Tom teased at his lips with his teeth, and his hands paused when they reached Marco’s chest. A moment passed and then he swiped a thumb against one of his nipples.

“Aah…” Marco wasn’t expecting the sudden tingle of pleasure, and he leaned his head back for a moment to catch his breath.

Tom rubbed the sensitive bud between his fingers, eyes trained on Marco’s face. Marco groaned and squirmed, back lifting slightly.

“Feeling good?” Tom asked.

“Oh yeah… so good,” he whispered back. This wasn’t so bad.

Tom lowered his head, running his tongue up Marco’s abdomen. He traced all the lines of muscle, breathing hot air across his skin, and when his lips reached his chest, he chose a nipple and suckled on it.

“Nn…” Marco instinctively grabbed Tom’s horns, holding him in place. Those little laps at his chest were making his thighs tremble, and he could feel himself growing hard.

“You know, my horns are pretty sensitive at the bases,” Tom informed him. “Go on, rub them. If you do, I’ll do something nice for you…” He gave a tempting little wiggle of the hips.

Marco curiously ran his fingers down to the base of Tom’s horns, rubbing them around where they connected to his scalp. It must have felt good, because Tom moaned against his chest, before continuing to use his tongue. He drew the bud into his mouth, just barely scraping over it with his teeth. It felt so good, better than expected. And Tom had a hand free, which he used to treat the other nipple, alternating between rubbing it firmly and just lightly tracing a nail around it.

The sensations were maddening, Marco’s head was growing foggy with lust and he wanted so much more. He kept stroking Tom’s horns, but rocked his hips against him, letting him know that he was turned on.

Tom answered by pressing his own crotch to Marco’s leg. He was hard too, and it sent a current of pleasure through Marco. He dropped a hand, moving it to Tom’s back. Feeling the flexing of strange muscles, Marco focused on his wings, sliding his hand up the arm of one.

“Mm, careful,” Tom murmured. “They’re sensitive.”

“I’ll be really careful,” Marco promised. His fingers darted over the wrist, and then gently slid down the fingers. He searched for sensitive spots on them, and finally found some in the leathery membranes. Each time he slid his fingers along the edges of them, Tom would shiver and mewl.

“They’re softer than I expected,” Marco commented, feeling all along them.

“They’ll toughen up with use. Unless, of course…” Tom rolled his wing shoulders, “You help me oil them regularly.”

Marco smiled. “Sounds good to me.”

Tom stretched out on top of him again, seemingly unable to stop kissing him.

Marco returned it, body aching for more touch. As close as they were, he wanted even more. He whined quietly, and pawed at Tom’s backside as he tried to urge him closer.

Tom complied, chuckling. “You’re so cute and needy. What’s the matter, love? You hungry?”

Marco found that he was. But not for food. He had gotten plenty of that earlier. No, what his body really craved was touch. He lusted for Tom’s hands and teeth on him, and every little movement seemed to feed that hunger, but it wasn’t quite enough. The feelings were new and almost unsettling, but he went with them, nodding. “Yes, please… I want you.”

“I want you too. You’ll make a delicious dessert.” Tom pressed their lips together, and his hands slid down to Marco’s hips, nails digging in. Marco shifted, resting his legs apart, and Tom sat back to get a look at him. Marco felt almost shy as he looked down at his own flushed body, seeing that his erection was hard enough to rest against his stomach now. He still wasn’t quite used to how its appearance had shifted, its head longer, with the barest of ridges along its underside. A quick look proved Tom’s was the same. Maybe it was a little thicker. It was wet with precum already.

“What can I say, I really want you,” Tom said with a shrug.

Marco grinned; he wasn’t doing much better. He swept a hand behind Tom and pulled him down to straddle him, and leaned forward to kiss him. He just couldn’t get enough of his soft lips and hot mouth.

Tom gripped Marco’s sides as he responded, rubbing his groin against Marco’s. They moaned, grinding harder, but it just wasn’t enough for them. Marco pushed him back, panting and staring into his eyes. Then he pressed his face to his neck, just inhaling his thick scent and sighing. “Please, more…”

“You want more? Alright, let me know if it gets to be too much…” Tom reached between them, taking hold of Marco’s cock and stroking up and down. Marco bucked, surprised by just how good it felt for Tom to touch him, compared to how it felt when he touched himself.

“Mm, Tom…” Marco pressed closer, wanting to be wrapped up in Tom, wanting to be consumed by his heat.

“You’re so perfect,” Tom breathed, free arm sliding under him to hold their bodies together, as his hand continued to pump. His thumb kept stroking over Marco’s tip, pressing to it before gliding back down the length, and he already felt so close.

“So g-good, ah…” Flustered by the little noises leaving his throat, Marco kissed him. But even with their mouths together, he kept letting out little pleasured grunts, hips rolling in time to Tom’s stroking, the heat in his stomach growing into an inferno. It was all building to a peak, and he pulled away to gasp, “T-Tom, slow down, I’m gonna…”

“Come for me,” Tom interrupted, scraping his teeth over Marco’s neck. His palm pressed firmly against him, yet his fingers were gentle as they slid around his tip.

Marco arched, coming all over Tom’s hand, the pleasure consuming his entire body for a few moments and turning his vision white. He slumped back, shaking his head as he tried to clear it, humming low in his throat. “W-wow…”

“Yeah, wow,” Tom said. He wrapped his hand around Marco’s length once more. “You’re still hard…”

“Ah…” Marco felt really sensitive. “Is that normal?”

“Mhm. We can have multiple orgasms. Helps that we have lots of energy.” Tom let go of him. “We should move on.”

“Move on?” Marco pushed himself up on his elbows, watching curiously as Tom laid down between his legs.

Tom nodded, running his hands along Marco’s thighs. He peppered the insides with kisses and licks, moving ever closer to Marco’s groin. He began using his teeth, suckling and leaving bruises, eyes never leaving Marco’s the entire time.

Marco did his best to watch him, lost in Tom’s smoldering gaze, but soon it got to be too much and he closed his eyes, resting his head back.

Tom kept going, finally running his tongue over Marco’s cock, drawing the head into his mouth and sucking.

Marco jolted, a cry tearing from his throat at just how good it felt. He grabbed Tom’s horns, pulling his head down. He made sure he remembered to stroke the bases of them, and Tom rewarded him by bobbing his head, taking him in deep. His mouth was so warm it was making Marco’s head swim, and he weakly bucked his hips in response. Every so often, Tom’s fangs would drift over the sensitive skin, and he would writhe and beg, the spark of pain only adding to the pleasure.

Tom kept going even as the pressure built up again, and Marco squirmed in his grasp, hands clutching his horns tightly, just barely remembering to rub them, before finally just letting go entirely and sinking into his hair, harshly dragging him forward and making him take his entire cock.

Tom wasn’t quite prepared for it, and he choked slightly. Marco opened his eyes to look at him, and when he met Tom’s, watery but still full of lust, it was enough to push him over. His body convulsed as he finished, and Tom eased his cock out, swallowing.

“Man, you’re responsive,” Tom commented.

Marco blushed. “You’re just… really good. But, you’ve been doing all this for me, and… what about you?”

Tom shrugged a shoulder. “I’m enjoying making you feel good. But don’t worry, I’ll indulge myself too soon enough. Just gotta do one more thing.” He opened Marco’s legs, and with a gesture, levitated over the bottle of lube. He popped it open and poured some out onto his fingers.

“What are you doing now?” Marco asked.

“Loosening you of course.” Tom pressed a finger to his entrance, rubbing slightly until Marco relaxed, and then sliding it in.

“Oh! Oh, okay…” It wasn’t so bad at all. Marco rested his legs apart, closing his eyes and letting Tom do his thing. Tom took it slow, watching Marco’s reactions to each finger. When he had two in, he turned them to prod right into his prostate, making him jump.

“You like that?” Tom asked. “Feels good, hm? That’s your prostate. A sweet spot. Remember it.”

“I never realized quite how… sensitive I was,” Marco admitted. “I mean I’ve touched myself a bit since becoming a demon, but… Wow.”

“Ah, humans aren’t much different. But we are more sensitive than them. Sex feels better to us. Lucky you.”

“Huh, interesting.” So that was why everything felt so wonderful. Marco was gonna have to do this more often. His whole body felt light and blissful, bathing in two afterglows while still receiving stimulation. It was amazing.

Tom kept loosening him, using three fingers before deciding that was enough.

Marco felt empty when he pulled them out, and glanced down at him, biting his lip. He leaned back a bit into the covers when Tom climbed over him, suddenly very aware of where this was going and torn between being excited and nervous. Everything else was foreplay but this was the real deal, he and Tom were about to have sex.

Luckily, Tom picked up on his hesitance. “Doing okay? Wanna keep going or do you want to stop?”

Marco shook his head, draping his arms around Tom’s neck and smiling lovingly at him. “Keep going. Please.”

“Alright. Let me know if you need anything. This might hurt.” Tom leaned into him, pressing his tip to his entrance. Marco inhaled at just how hard he was, slit dripping precum against him.

“I trust you,” Marco said, taking Tom’s hand.

Tom smiled widely, and pressed a kiss to his lips as he slid inside. Marco tensed up a little, but it wasn’t so bad. Tom felt hot and thick inside him, he could feel the ridges on the bottom of his shaft tugging at his skin, and Tom soon rubbed past that sweet spot, which made him moan.

Once Tom was in all the way, he paused just to catch his breath.

“Fuck,” Marco exhaled, eyes staring into nothing. He just clutched Tom closer.

“You feel good,” Tom whispered into his ear, before licking slowly along the shell.

Marco wiggled his hips a bit, getting used to the stretch, how it almost burned yet at the same time was so delicious it made his cock twitch. He wanted Tom to move, and put his legs around his waist, giving a small tug.

Tom withdrew, just as slowly as he had gone in, eyes trained on Marco’s the entire time, ears perked forward to listen to his vocalizations. When he was almost out, he thrust back into him, exhaling at the rush of pleasure. He got into a rhythm then, pounding into Marco, so hard that the bed shook. He couldn’t get enough of it, he just wanted to melt into him, be one with him in the most intimate of ways.

“Ah, ah, Tom…” Marco whimpered, burying his face against Tom’s throat, thighs squeezing him.

“So good, you feel… So fucking _good_ ,” Tom growled, wings spreading out possessively over his partner.

Marco was hardly coherent, just losing himself to the ecstasy as his prostate was abused, ripping howls and moans from him. He thrust back to meet him, needing to feel him deeper, though he could tell that Tom was already going to the hilt each time. The friction was beyond description, both pain and pleasure, consuming him inside and out. His toes curled and he gripped Tom’s hair, certain he was almost crying but he never wanted it to stop. He ended up just biting Tom’s throat, needing something to ground himself with.

“Gah!” Tom skipped a beat, then thrust even harder, nails digging harshly into Marco’s skin.

It was too much sensation all at once, Marco was overwhelmed with ecstasy, rutting his cock against Tom’s stomach and letting each thrust bring him closer and closer to his edge.

Then Tom hunched over him with a snarl, and pushed Marco’s face back so he could kiss him deeply, orgasm washing over him.

Marco went rigid when he felt hot liquid fill him, hitting that sweet spot and pushing him over his own edge. He nearly sobbed as he came for the third time tonight, which almost hurt. He broke away from the kiss, gasping, and Tom let out a string of swears against his neck, shaking a bit.

“Tom?” Marco asked, exhausted.

Tom slowly settled, leaning back and meeting his eyes. “Yeah?”

Marco rested his head against him. “That was good. You were right, it was pretty messy. But I also think it was perfect. Better than just watching porn, for sure.”

Tom chuckled, then started laughing. He pulled out and wrapped him into a hug, curling up around him, wings sweeping him in close. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” Marco leaned into his hold, savoring his warmth and enjoying his afterglow.

Tom stroked his hair, not speaking. He didn’t need to. They were both content to be laying together, and after a few moments, Tom found Marco’s right hand and lifted it, kissing over his ring.

“What a way to consummate our wedding, huh?” Marco asked softly.

Tom nodded, kissing his forehead. “I liked it. It was fun.”

“Yeah. I wouldn’t mind doing more of that.” Marco yawned, slumping against him.

“We can do it every night. However you want. Or whenever you want. I would love to.” Tom returned to petting his hair, letting out a satisfied sigh. “I could even keep going now, if you want.”

“I don’t know, I’m pretty tired… It’s been a long day. Um… Think we should go get cleaned off again?”

Tom thought about it, then shrugged. “Nah, I’m too lazy.” He snuggled up. “We can do that in the morning.”

“Alright.” Marco found Tom’s hand, just gently running his thumb along it. Despite being tired, they still spent nearly an hour just talking, joking about what they just did, their voices barely louder than whispers in the dark, before eventually falling asleep in each other’s arms.


	21. A Needed Vacation

Marco really didn’t want to get up in the morning. He was quite comfortable sleeping next to Tom, head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat and feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest. He kept laying there for as long as he could once he opened his eyes, but now that he was awake, he realized he had slept with a lot of his weight on one leg and it was starting to feel uncomfortable. Unable to help it, he shifted into a better position.

That quick movement woke Tom up. He lifted his head, yawning, and his hand gently touched Marco’s back.

“Sorry,” Marco said.

“Mm, it’s fine.” Tom moved to get comfortable too, and then kept holding him, closing his eyes again.

“You wanna keep sleeping?”

“Yeah, kinda.” Tom already seemed to be dozing off again.

“Yeah, we did stay up kinda late.” Marco nodded in agreement, more than happy to keep sleeping. He pressed a brief kiss to Tom’s neck, and drifted off again, utterly content.

It was only another hour though before Tom woke up fully, and he sat up, stretching. Marco opened his eyes too, watching him. He smiled at how Tom’s wings opened, stretching too. They were so elegant, fitting for Tom’s personality.

Tom leaned over Marco, brushing his hair out of his eyes. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Marco nuzzled his wrist.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning.” Marco pushed himself up with a hand, letting the blanket slip down to his waist as he stretched his arms out. Something popped in his back, and he sighed. “Man.”

“How do you feel?”

“Good. Like… I feel pretty good.” Marco rubbed his neck, looking down at the small scratches Tom had left on him. He almost felt as if he still had an afterglow, but that couldn’t be right.

“After last night, I’m not surprised. So do I.” Tom wrapped an arm around him. “It still feels so good, even just sitting here next to you.”

Marco curiously looked at him. “So… How long does it take for the high to go down? You know, after sex?”

“Depends. Usually a few hours, but for a first time between a new couple, it can last for like a day.”

“Wow, really? Demons are weird.”

“Heh, we are pretty good at the lust thing, so it makes sense.” Tom laid him down, kissing him. “Anyway, we’re partners now, we’re married, so it was… A pretty exciting high for both of us. Of course we still feel good about it.”

“What if we went again? Right now?”

“It’d probably be pretty great. Do you want to go again?”

Marco answered by flipping Tom over onto his back, pinning him down. Tom’s wings briefly flared out, but they closed again, and Tom gave him a challenging smile.

“I guess the answer is yes.”

Marco had confidence in this now. After how intimate they got yesterday, he wasn’t shy about his body or Tom’s. “You led everything yesterday. My turn now.”

“Sounds good to me, mi amor.”

Marco rolled his eyes, then dove onto him, and Tom happily accepted him.

After a good hour of romping about, the demons finally decided to actually go out and enjoy the island they were staying on. They had chosen to come to Kaua’i. Along with the ocean right nearby, there were walking trails, which they planned to explore. After a quick shower, and some more playing around, they dressed and headed out.

“Man, that was fun,” Tom said, referring to the shower.

“Yeah, definitely, I took lots of notes.”

“Oh geeze.”

Marco reached up to scratch behind Tom’s ear, grinning at how his back curved and a purr slipped past his lips. “Adorable.”

“Okay, I think I liked you better when you were shy about sex.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“You’re right, I don’t.” Tom took his hand as they got in the elevator. “Why don’t we go find somewhere to eat?”

“How can you even think about food after how much we ate yesterday?”

Tom gave him a look. “We just had sex like… six times since coming here, I think I burned through everything I ate yesterday. Are you saying you’re not hungry?”

“I’m just messing, I’m totally hungry. Let’s find somewhere to eat.”

They didn’t really talk for the elevator ride, though Marco did playfully poke the hickey he had left on Tom’s neck earlier. Tom scowled and pushed his hand away. They went through the lobby and then outside.

The air was warm and the Sun was bright, and there were palm trees and beautiful flowers all around. They could faintly hear the roaring of the ocean and there was a gentle, humid breeze.

They got some looks as they walked, but generally everyone was relaxed, just going about their day.

Tom froze when they came close enough to actually see the ocean, staring at how the sunlight reflected off the waves. “Whoa. It was pretty through the window, but…”

Marco chuckled, slipping an arm around him. “It’s so much better up close.”

“Yeah.” Tom was amazed.

“Want to get closer?”

“Yeah.”

Luckily they were wearing sandals. They stepped off the sidewalk and onto sand, beginning the short trek toward the water.

Tom kicked up some sand, watching it drift in the wind. Marco nudged him, and then took off his shoes. Holding them in his hand, he began jogging. Tom did the same, and soon laughed.

“Sand feels so weird!”

“Isn’t it great?” Marco skipped, and Tom caught up to him, leaping into the air and doing a front flip. “Show off.”

Tom landed softly and kept running. Marco kept up with him easily. They didn’t stop until their feet touched damp sand, and Tom stood there to take it all in. The louder yet pleasant roar of the ocean, the salty breeze, the sunlight on his skin. He watched the waves roll, then raised his gaze to the noisy seagulls overhead.

It occurred to Marco that the dry sand they had run across to get here was really hot and he hadn’t even noticed. He chalked it up to being a demon. He kept walking, out until the water was regularly running over his toes, washing them clean. Here he sat, not really caring that he wasn’t wearing swimming trunks. He’ll dry off soon enough in this heat.

He set a hand against the sand, running his claws through it, digging little grooves that filled with water and mud every time a wave came through. A few moments later, Tom sat next to him.

“I get what you said about the ocean,” Tom said. “It’s huge. It could kill me and not even care. I would be terrified to be lost at sea.”

“Yeah. It’s dangerous and beautiful.” Marco held his hand out, trying to form a wave of his own. A small section of water rose into a swell, but it soon spread back out, joining in with the natural waves and following their course. Marco chuckled. “I can barely control it. The ocean is too powerful to obey me. I can try to influence it, but it has its own direction. Each of these waves were set into motion miles and miles away. How can I stop that?”

Tom nodded thoughtfully. “It has a mind of its own, huh.”

“In a way.” Marco set his sandals on his lap and tried using both hands. With focus, rocking his hands forward and back, he was able to draw up more water into the waves, making them bigger, wider. He focused on one of the huge waves that was further out, which someone was surfing on. He made it rise higher, and the surfer let out a whoop, adjusting and continuing to ride it with no problem.

When the wave eventually crashed down, it sent water much higher up the shore than usual, and a few people took startled steps back, but no one seemed to find it unusual. Monster waves were common.

For a while, Marco entertained himself with that, but he wasn’t properly dressed for swimming, so once he was bored and Tom had gotten his fill, they put their sandals back on and walked back to the sidewalk.

“We’ve gotta go swimming later,” Marco said.

Tom nodded in agreement. “Never swam in the ocean before. That’ll be interesting.”

They explored the area, letting the Sun dry them off, pointing out interesting landmarks, and casting glances at Mount Waialeale, the inactive shield volcano in the center of the island that was visible from here. They were highly considering going on a tour, though apparently accessing the highest points of the mountain would be difficult. But that was fine; they just wanted to get closer and maybe take some pictures.

They finally chose a restaurant selling burgers, wanting something simple. There were many different specialty burgers available, and Tom pondered over one boasting a ‘volcano sauce’ while Marco questioned whether one with caramelized pineapple would taste good.

In the end, Tom decided to try the volcano burger to see just how hot it was, and Marco just played it safe with a fairly standard bacon cheeseburger.

“Dude, does yours come with pepper?” Marco asked once the server walked away.

“Sure does,” Tom replied.

“Oh my God.”

“Don’t hate.”

“I’m not hating, I just… Why would you do that to yourself?”

Tom chuckled. “What humans call hot and what I call hot are two entirely different things.”

“Okay but like. All I’m saying is I’m not getting anywhere near your butt until that’s cleared out.”

Tom snorted and threw a spoon at him.

They sipped on iced tea as they waited, Tom lamenting that he couldn’t order alcohol because he didn’t have any sort of Earth ID and also they wouldn’t serve it to him anyway because he’s 18.

“We can always just go to Germany or something,” Marco suggested.

“Eh, it’s fine. We have stuff at home. And I can always just magic up that vintage wine Mom gave us.”

“Fair enough.”

They admired the view from their window, and when Tom saw someone parasailing, he immediately perked up. “We gotta try that!”

“You have wings,” Marco said.

“So? It still looks fun!”

Marco had to admit, it did. He’s kinda wanted to go parasailing too but just hasn’t gotten the chance. No doubt Star would have dragged him off to do it if he mentioned it when they were younger, but it never came up. Maybe that was for the best.

They finished their food and paid, and Marco looked up where they had to go for the parasailing. It wasn’t too far away, and they walked there.

“Humans are great,” Tom said. “You really aren’t so different from demons. You do all these risky things for no reason other than fun. I admire that.”

“Heh, yeah, humans are crazy,” Marco replied. “Also, I’m not one anymore, remember?”

“Right, right, I know, just… You were for years, and I still kinda think of you as one of them. You’re both human and demon. It’s pretty cool, actually.”

Marco shrugged. “Yeah. I get what you mean.”

Tom took his hand, looking up at the sky. “So, parasailing. What happens if something goes wrong? Humans can’t fly or levitate.”

“Well, they’re over water. I guess they just have to release themselves from the tow cable and fall into it. It’ll hurt but it won’t kill them.”

Tom looked up at someone who was currently being towed. “I don’t know, they are _really_ high up. They have a better chance if they get separated from the canopy, but… I’m imagining their line breaking, and them getting dragged across the beach and slamming into things.”

“Hm. Yeah, good point.” Marco started to rethink it, then realized he had magic and could easily save himself. “I’m still gonna do it.”

“Me too.”

It was a rather pricey activity, but Tom had more than enough money to pay for it. They had to sit through a lengthy safety and instructional briefing, and it was so hard for Tom not to just extend his wings and bluntly say he could handle himself in the air.

But finally they were able to pull on their life jackets, grab the necessary equipment, and head out to the boats.

Tom went first, his boat pulling out a good distance ahead before Marco’s followed. Soon, Marco saw his husband’s parachute deploy, pulling him off the back of the boat and high into the air. Marco’s sensitive hearing caught his ecstatic cry even from here. He prepared for his own deployment.

Once the boat had picked up enough speed, he was given the signal and was able to open the chute. It yanked him backward, and despite being prepared for it, he let out a startled yelp. Within moments he had gained hundreds of feet of air, before being jolted and held steady, a good five hundred feet above the water.

He really wished he had wings, and then remembered he could levitate. He relaxed, slowly loosening his grip on the steering lines. He tugged on one side, and drifted left. He tried the other direction and was swung that way. He finally laughed, enjoying the rush of wind in his hair, the adrenaline pumping through him.

Marco looked over at the beach, far below him, some people glancing up to watch in awe and longing, and others continuing about their day, used to the sight. Then he looked in the other direction, where the ocean stretched beyond the horizon with no end in sight. There were waves and the occasional splash of fish, and sunlight sparkled across the surface. If he squinted, he could see boats, and off in the distance there were even cargo ships.

He turned his gaze forward, stretching out his arms out and letting out a whoop before grabbing onto the ropes again. Maybe he could stop himself from falling, but he still didn’t want it to come to that. It’d be hard to explain. Him and Tom being demons has already gotten them more attention than they wanted. Luckily people could be surprisingly tolerant.

The ride lasted nearly twenty minutes. Marco took some selfies. He tested how far back and forth he could glide, and occasionally saw Tom glance back at him, and would wave. It was still over sooner than expected, the boats heading back to the docks and lines reeled in.

Marco stumbled slightly when his feet touched down on the boat, but he steadied himself quickly and hopped down into a seat. The canopy was retrieved and folded, unhooked from his harness. In the boat ahead, Tom was waving back at him, grinning.

Once back on land, Marco wrapped his arm around Tom and walked with him onto the beach.

“You know, we could have done two-person parasailing,” Marco commented. “That’s a thing.”

“Yeah, I noticed while we were up there. But it’s okay, I still had fun.”

“That’s all that matters.”

They spent the day exploring the island, taking a tour up the volcano, having a light meal, and heading back to town. They took plenty of pictures and delighted at just how beautiful it was. They had dinner at a cafe outside, and returned to their room to watch the sunset from their balcony, sipping on piña coladas that Tom had magicked up. They tasted amazing, and Tom assured Marco that he had left money to pay for taking the ingredients from a random store.

Before, it might have bothered Marco. But not now. He was having too good of a time. He held Tom’s hand, watching the Sun go down and colors fill the sky before darkening into night.

Most of the beachgoers turned in. There were tiki torches providing spots of warm light every so often, but they likely weren’t going to be relit until tomorrow. Only the ones close to the buildings would be looked after.

“Wanna go swimming?” Marco asked.

Tom perked up. “Absolutely.”

They finished their drinks and went to change into bathing trunks, and Tom was about to just fly off the balcony when Marco reminded him of how terrible that idea was when they were surrounded by wingless humans.

Tom sheepishly agreed, though as they were going downstairs, he commented that it would still be funny to see everyone’s reactions.

Marco couldn’t help laughing. “You’re right, it would be.”

They headed outside and across the cooling sand. Their sandals were removed so they could enjoy the feel of sand against their feet, and they found a spot to lay down their towels not too far from the water. One keycard to their room was tucked between their towels, which they left folded. The other was kept in a Velcro pocket Marco had, and he assured Tom that the card would work after being submerged. Then they waded in.

Tom was cautious, especially when the waves began hitting his midriff and higher, powerful enough to knock him back. But he kept going, soon getting used to it. He cast Marco a curious look. “I’ve only been swimming in pools. Is it any different in the ocean?”

“Not really. Just make sure you watch out for the undertow.” Marco was considerably further out, letting himself be pulled back and forth.

“What’s that?”

“It’s the current that runs in the opposite direction and deeper than the waves. They go toward the shore, but then the water has to return, right? That current can actually yank you further out with it if you’re not careful. Course, you can just fly or teleport out. But still.”

Tom nodded in understanding. “Yeah, I can feel it.” He swam closer to Marco, his feet finally leaving the ground. He could just barely stretch his leg out enough to touch it again.

Marco brushed his hair out of his eyes, looking across the skyline. Then he turned to the horizon, smiling at the stars. Tom reached underwater, taking his hand, and Marco turned to smile at him instead. It was very romantic, until a wave barreled over them and dragged them several feet forward, depositing them into shallower water. They were still pushed under, though.

Marco grunted as his front was scraped against the seafloor, and shoved himself up, breaking the surface. He coughed, wiping the stinging water out of his face, and soon felt another wave hit his back, much more obvious now that he was laying down. He looked around and saw Tom nearby, spitting up water and rubbing his eyes.

“You okay?” Marco asked.

“Fine. Just… That surprised me.”

“Yeah. Waves will do that. These are much bigger than the ones in California. And they can get a lot bigger.” Marco stood, wiping himself off. He wasn’t deterred, going back out.

Tom followed, more observant now. He knew to brace himself and cover his face as swells buffeted him, before pressing forward. They returned to the deeper water, and Marco began to wish he had a surfboard. He’s never really had a successful attempt at surfing but he was always willing to try again.

They swam for a while, as it grew darker around them, but they could see just fine with their night vision.

Tom drew Marco close once they got far enough out that waves were no longer crashing over them and the water was relatively calm other than the occasional swell. It was almost dangerously far from shore, but not for a couple demons. They held hands, resting their foreheads together, just relaxing in each other’s company. Their feet lightly tread in the water to keep them afloat, and Marco glanced toward the horizon to make sure nothing was coming, before drawing Tom into a kiss.

Tom tilted his head and kissed him back. Marco tasted like salt and coconut, and Tom ran a hand up through his hair, kissing deeper.

The other hummed with approval, parting his lips and inviting Tom closer. He happily did so, wrapping an arm around Marco, tongue teasing along his lower lip.

Marco leaned back to catch his breath, and chuckled, shivering a little. “Heh. This can’t be safe.”

“We’ll be fine,” Tom assured him, nuzzling his throat. “You know, with how far out we are, I bet no one on shore can see us.”

“Probably not. Which is why it’d be really bad if we started drowning.”

“That would never happen.”

“It could. We’re fireproof, not waterproof.”

Tom shrugged. “True. But we can escape if something goes wrong. Just teleport right back. We’ll be okay. I was thinking more along the lines of what we can get away with out here.”

Marco gave him a knowing look, feeling Tom’s claws run down his back. “Are you really thinking about sex? Out here?”

“It may have crossed my mind.” Tom wiggled against him. “Imagine how weird it’d feel. But it’d be nice. Warm, wet… And immediate cleanup.” He lightly splashed the water, and gave Marco a kiss. “What do you say?”

“I say you’re crazy and need to keep it in your pants,” Marco replied, even as he hooked his fingers into Tom’s waist.

“Mm, so you’re saying you’re down to grind out here?” Tom teased.

“Maybe I am-” Marco’s response was cut off by a searing pain around his ankle, and he jolted, kicking with his other leg and feeling something like sandpaper under his foot. He just barely managed to release Tom before the grip tightened and he was plunged down into the depths.


	22. Underwater Battle

The initial thing Marco was aware of was pain, as the seawater burned his eyes and the unknown grip on his leg sent red-hot shards of agony up his body. He managed to focus, pushing the pain aside and blinking a few times, looking down. He saw what had clamped onto his leg.

It was a tiger shark, aggressively yanking on him, and something told him that if he was still human, it would have bitten clean through his leg.

Marco clawed at the water, kicking hard with his free leg, managing to swim back up enough to break the surface. He gasped for air, and Tom let out an alarmed shout, grabbing for him. He missed, and the tiger shark dragged him under again.

He was on his own. Marco turned, bending over and attempting to hit the creature. That only made it angrier, and it chomped its mouth further up his leg, breaking the skin. A cloud of red surrounded them, and Marco nearly screamed, but kept his mouth shut so as not to waste precious oxygen. He didn’t need as much as a demon, but he still needed it eventually. He tried to hit the beast’s eyes, but it was strangely watchful, thrashing aside enough to make him miss every time.

He recalled everything he knew about sharks and their weak points, and finally managed to shove his fingers up its sensitive nostrils and stab. He regretted not asking for his claws to be sharpened, but that did the trick. He was released, the shark turning tail and fleeing.

He barely had a moment to be relieved before something surged up from the depths, and he was startled by what could only be a mermaid. Except, she wasn’t like the ones he’s seen in movies. She had blue skin and no clothing to speak of, scales lining her arms and sides, and her massive tail had sharp fins. Gills flared open and shut along her neck as she breathed, and her eyes were far too large and angular for comfort. Her dark, wild hair flowed around her face, braids woven around seashells and other adornments.

Marco swallowed, and she grabbed his arms, nails incredibly sharp. She shouted at him in an unrecognizable language, and he rapidly shook his head, trying to pull free.

The mermaid glared at him, the fins she had in place of ears tilting toward him before flattening back.

“Let go of me,” Marco gurgled, hardly comprehensible, but she seemed to understand.

“That was my pet!” she growled, voice startlingly clear, if accented.

Marco realized she was still steadily pulling him down and deeper into the ocean. His ears were starting to hurt from the pressure and vaguely he heard Tom splashing around, shouting for him, but unable to see through the water to find him. Demon eyes just weren’t meant for it.

“It bit me!” Marco protested. Bubbles rose from his mouth, reminding him that he was using up his air, and he quickly closed his mouth. His lungs were burning.

She jabbed him with her claws. “Miserable wretch! Demons are delicious! You should have known not to leave your hellscape only to enter my domain! Your kind is powerless in water!”

“Really?” Marco found that once he calmed down and focused, his head cleared, the pressure lessening. He just had to stop fighting the water and instead let it support him. “Coulda fooled me.” He trusted his instincts, opening his mouth and inhaling. It was the strangest sensation, water flowing down his throat and into his lungs, yet… It invigorated him. He grinned, and shoved her back. “I’m not like most demons.” He had figured out how to talk properly, and felt pretty proud of himself for that.

She scowled, tail beating the water as she floated in front of him. “It matters not, you abomination. You will die.”

She lunged at him, claws tearing across his torso and spilling blood. Immediately a shark appeared, a hammerhead this time, and she directed it toward him. He narrowed his eyes, darting to the side and then kicking it in the gills. It jerked away, but soon circled back, mouth gaping open. He saw rows of razor sharp teeth, and reached forward to grab its nose, vaulting over it. He called on his magic, hands coming together and thrusting up. A pillar of water exploded up from under the hammerhead, launching it clear out of the water and into the sky. He looked up, seeing it soar off and then splash back down, stunned. It floated upside-down for a few moments, before righting itself and racing away.

Smirking, Marco turned back to the mermaid, who hissed at him.

“I was warned that you were a rare water elemental, but I couldn’t believe it until I saw it,” she said. “A creature of the Underworld who commands the sea. I will not stand for it. You are not worthy.”

“Luckily, you don’t need to stand,” Marco said, gesturing to her tail.

She screamed and charged him, slamming into him and plunging with him downward, until his back slammed into the floor. The pressure was hurting again, and he gulped in water, but it seemed he could only properly breathe it when he focused, because his lungs were burning again.

“I was told to kill you,” she said quietly, wrapping her hands around his throat. Her thumbs pressed in and he gagged. “Kill you, eat the body, leave no evidence. Everyone will think you got killed by a shark. A rare event, sad, but not unbelievable. You’ll be a statistic and no one will care about you anymore.”

“Who?” Marco managed, vision fading out. “Who told you?”

She tilted her head, starting to speak, then stopping. Then she said, “I will not say. It won’t matter. But I was paid very well to do this. Now hold still and this will all be over soon. I hope you taste as good as you look.”

Marco’s head fell back, eyes staring at the surface high above, just able to make out his husband still looking for him, diving down a few feet, but having to retreat for air when he couldn’t find him.

He couldn’t focus enough to teleport, his thoughts in a haze. He was bleeding out, and he spared a moment to wonder who was so desperate to kill him. Darkness crowded the edges of his mind, and his fingers weakly flexed at the currents that flowed between them. They seemed to be waiting his command, but did he really have the power to control them?

“Marco!” Tom cried out, the sound piercing to where Marco laid trapped. His voice was full of grief, and it was the slap to the face that Marco needed. No way was he dying here.

His fists clenched, and he swung his arm. The water responded, a powerful current slamming into the mermaid and tearing her away from him. He pushed up, summoning a wave to carry him upward, and broke the surface a few moments later. He breathed in deeply, coughing and holding his abdomen, and Tom spun toward him, eyes wide. Marco realized he was crying, and he quickly swam toward him, throwing himself into his arms.

“Marco! Marco, thank the gods, I thought you were dead, I thought…” Tom wrapped his arms around him, hugging him tight. “I thought I lost you…”

“I’m okay, I’m right here,” Marco assured him. He sensed something in the water below him, and reacted, throwing his hand up. The mermaid was flung past the surface, high into the air. She shrieked in anger, hair now like messy seaweed around her head and voice grating. She splashed back down, and Tom snarled.

“I’m going to make sushi out of her!”

“Don’t. Let’s just get out of here, she can control sharks.”

“She can _what_?” Tom demanded.

Marco let go of him, swimming back toward shore. “Sharks, very big ones, we need to get out of the water.”

“Well that’s easy.” Tom grabbed him and opened his wings, hauling him up. It was a quick flight back to the shore, where they landed near their towels and turned to watch the sea.

The mermaid poked her head up over the waves, yelling at them. “You will die! It’s only a matter of time!”

Tom grabbed a large shell and hurled it at her. It struck her squarely in the face, and she jolted back, swearing and diving back under.

Marco wrapped his arms around himself, shaking, suddenly cold. “First I get poisoned, now this… Are they connected?”

Tom turned to him, pulling him into a hug. “Mermaids hate demons, it’s… it’s normal.”

“She said she was told to kill me. She singled me out on purpose.”

Tom’s eyes widened. “She was told? By who?”

“Wouldn’t say.” Marco sighed, feeling faint. He realized he was still bleeding, and abruptly sat down, head spinning.

Tom sat next to him, looking at his leg and flinching. “Let’s not worry about that now. Your leg is torn open.” He gingerly touched the rows of teeth wounds, which were deep and ragged. “Let’s get it off the sand.”

“M fine,” Marco tried to say, but Tom was having none of it.

“Nope.” Tom dragged the pile of towels over and elevated his leg, propping it on top of them. “We gotta clean these up.”

Marco looked over at the ocean, still serenely flowing in and out, oblivious to the assault that had just occurred under its surface. He felt he understood it a little better now, though. He lifted his hand, calling water over to his aid. A stream lifted out and flew to him, and he directed it to wash over his wounds.

He covered his mouth when it burned, but said nothing. Tom brushed his hair back, fingers lingering on his forehead, before softly kissing him. Marco rested his arms around him, holding him close, not really caring that he was getting covered in sand as he laid back.

They separated, and Tom washed his leg off. “At least the bleeding stopped.”

“Yeah.”

“We should track down the mermaid, find out who hired her…”

Marco frowned as he thought about it. “Everyone knows we’re on our honeymoon but only a few know where we went. My parents, Star, Janna, your parents, and of course the steward, since he arranged it.”

Tom nodded slowly. “The steward. Of course, he could give anyone our exact location if asked, and he probably wouldn’t think anything of it. He would never willingly harm someone in my family but he also feels we can take care of ourselves.” He summoned a length of bandages and began wrapping them around Marco’s leg.

“When we get back, we’ll ask him who all he told,” Marco said. “That’ll help us track down whoever’s behind this.”

Tom nodded. “Probably the same one that poisoned you.”

“Yeah. We’ll find them, and make them tell us what their problem is and why they’re so determined to kill me.” Marco got up once his leg was bandaged, and Tom put an arm around him for support. They dried off, and Marco looked over at the ocean. The mermaid was still staring at them, and she showed her teeth. “Swimming won’t be safe anymore.”

“That’s fine.” Tom glared at her. “The hotel has a swimming pool.” He retrieved his keycard, and Marco made sure he still had his. Then they headed back up the beach, towels wrapped around them.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll give up your title, Lord Marco!” she shouted, before flipping back into the water and disappearing.

Marco trembled and leaned against Tom, stumbling a bit. He had lost a lot of blood. “Whoever it is doesn’t like that I’m in charge.”

“It happens,” Tom said. “One of my predecessors had a good fifty attempts made against them in their very first week. But eventually people will give up and accept you. I promise.”

“If you say so.”

They decided to teleport back to their room, and Marco immediately flopped onto the bed, groaning. Tom laid next to him, and he snuggled up to him.

“Tomorrow will be better,” Tom assured him.

Marco idly touched his fingers to the cuts on his chest. “I hope so.”


	23. Just Relaxing

When Marco woke up, the first thing he did was test his injured leg. It hurt, but it moved. He started to get up, but Tom's arm around his waist stopped him. He turned to see that the other was awake, watching him with concern. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay,” Marco replied, laying back down and snuggling up with him.

Tom ran his palms down Marco's face, before giving him a small kiss on the lips. “You kept moving around last night, I thought your leg was hurting you.”

“It probably was. But it's not so bad, really. Just... kinda stiff. It could be a lot worse. If I was human...” He trailed off, sure he didn't need to say what would have happened.

Tom nodded. “Yeah. You probably wouldn't have a leg anymore.”

Marco snorted. “Yeah. At least, I'd only have half of it. C'mon, let me up.”

“Why? Don't you wanna just lay here and cuddle all day?”

“I would but I'm hungry. And I need a shower.”

“Alright.” Tom let him up, following him. They went to the bathroom and unclothed, and Marco unwrapped the bandage while Tom started the shower. It was fairly bloody, and he made a face, dropping it into the trashcan. His leg looked terrible. The teeth marks had somewhat started to heal, but that only left him with dark, splotchy bruises from his ankle up to his knee. He sighed and felt over the wounds. At least they were scabbed over.

When Tom glanced at his leg and balked, Marco laughed. “Pretty, isn't it?”

Tom cleared his throat. “Y-yeah, very. Gods, that's gotta hurt.”

“It's mostly sore, nothing I can't handle.” Marco tested the water. It was warm enough for him, so he got in. He cleaned the dried blood off, and winced when he tore a few scabs off, but luckily he didn't bleed again.

Tom hopped in with him, rinsing off and reaching for the shampoo. They spent a while cleaning off, and Tom said, “So, what do you want to do today?”

“Can we just bum around in our room all day and order room service?” Marco asked.

“Sure. We can watch movies and just chill.”

They got out and merely pulled on underwear and t-shirts, not feeling the need to put on anything else. They got cuddled up on the couch in the living room, turning on the TV, and Marco picked up the room service menu. They ordered a breakfast of waffles and cereal with orange juice, and Tom decided to put on the first Harry Potter movie, saying they could marathon it. Marco was fine with that.

After a while, Marco got his laptop so he could check on some sites, and Tom rested his head against him and watched, occasionally laughing whenever Marco showed him something funny.

The food took around twenty minutes to arrive. The person who brought it to them didn't even seem to care about their appearance, just asking for payment, as the cost of the room hadn't included room service. Tom paid and left a generous tip, and brought the food inside. It was pretty good, and they casually fed each other as they watched the movie.

The day passed lazily, and really they couldn't be more content, leaning together as they relaxed, arms around each other, hands occasionally stroking along each other's bare thighs, leading to them giggling and briefly kissing before looking back at the TV. It was perfect, and they savored the peace while it lasted, knowing that in a couple days they'll have to go back to the Underworld and begin their official duties.

It was around the fourth movie that they started to get bored. Their room service trays had been left outside to be retrieved and they were considering calling again for lunch. But they weren't too hungry yet. Rather, they just began looking for other ways to amuse themselves. Marco trailed his fingers along Tom's leg, up the curve of his hip, and then turned to climb onto his lap. Tom shifted, draping his arms around his waist and looking up at him curiously. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Marco replied. His hands slid up Tom's stomach, going underneath his shirt, and he leaned in to kiss him.

“Mm, you're in the way, I can't see the screen.”

“As if you were paying any attention,” Marco murmured. His thumbs slid along Tom's muscles, and he felt the other breath a little more quickly.

“I was totally paying attention.”

“Really? What just happened, then?”

Tom tried to see around him, and Marco blocked his view. So instead Tom listened, and then said, “Harry just tried to open the golden egg in the common room. I'd recognize that horrible screeching anywhere.”

Marco did too. It reminded him a lot of how that mermaid had yelled at him before switching to English. In fact, now that he thought about it, the mermaids that appeared later on in this movie looked a lot like the one he had fought. He shook his head. “Why don't we skip to Order of the Phoenix?”

Understanding, Tom picked up the remote and selected the next movie. He set it down, and Marco wrapped him into an embrace, kissing him deeply. Tom responded, slowly laying down with him, hands roaming under his shirt.

It was a good thirty minutes before they got back up, breathless and chuckling as they swept sweaty hair out of their faces, fixing their clothes. They were sure they'd never get tired of sleeping together.

Hungry now, they had sandwiches and soup sent to the room, and finished watching the movie in peace. A few times, Marco got phone calls from family and friends, and he spoke to them all. Apparently his parents had already put together the wedding video and shared it to Facebook. So rather than go to the next movie, Marco picked up his laptop again and went online to find the video.

He almost teared up at the sight of him and Tom walking toward each other, dressed in their wedding suits, nothing but pure happiness on their faces. Now that he could see what he looked like, he noticed that he had been tearing up right from the beginning. Then they turned and their backs were to the camera, as the minister began talking. It was a lot more boring listening to it now, and Marco skipped ahead to the vows. He smiled, and glancing over, saw that Tom was smiling too, watching intently. His hand went to Marco's, holding it gently.

When they kissed, the camera actually shook from Angie standing up and jostling it, clapping along with everyone else. Marco could hear his dad crying. He and Tom separated, gazing at each other with love and trust, and Marco turned to kiss his husband, the memories of the day before yesterday making affection blossom in his chest.

The video moved on, shifting to them at the reception. It showed them shoving cake in each other's faces, and they laughed at how ridiculous they looked. They shared chuckles over the various guests making fun of them, and the present opening. Then the video ended, on a photo that had been taken as they kissed at the wedding, which had been edited to have hearts around it. Marco liked the post and went to check his e-mail, finding that his mother had sent him the video file. He made sure he saved it.

“We should get that burned to a DVD,” Tom said. “So we can watch it again and again.”

“Good idea.”

They stood up, stretching for a bit, stiff from spending so long sitting around. Marco suggested going downstairs to the pool, and Tom agreed. After changing back into their swimming trunks, they headed downstairs.

The pool wasn't too crowded. Understandable, as most people would rather be swimming in the ocean. They waded into the water, swimming a few laps to loosen up. Marco practiced some of his abilities, discretely of course. He mostly focused on waterbreathing. He hadn't known he could do it until yesterday, and still wasn't sure how he was able to. But it worked. He could dive down and inhale, and his head would remain clear, lungs feeling fine, if heavier than normal. Using this ability, he sank down to just sit on the bottom of the deep end, grinning up at Tom.

Tom dove down after him, but was only able to float in front of him for a few moments before wincing and grabbing his ears, swimming back up. Laughing, Marco kicked off and went back up too. He coughed to clear out his lungs, and reached over to give Tom's ear a flick. “Does the water pressure hurt?”

“Yeah. I don't know how you can stand it.” Tom splashed water on him. He responded by sending a wave barreling over him.

Marco went to pull himself up onto the side, and Tom hopped up next to him, wiping his eyes off.

“So, the mermaid said something to me about being a 'rare water elemental,'” Marco said. “What does that mean?”

“Ah, well. Most demons, as you know, control fire. It's kinda our whole thing. But not everyone is like that. We're magical creatures and so sometimes someone is born able to wield a different element. Some control electricity. Some can control the soil. And then... there are those that control water. Very, very few demons are able to master control over water. But they're usually looked down on, as it seems to be in direct opposition to our nature. Course, it doesn't really matter if you don't care about that, our nature is whatever we want it to be. Anyway, when Star transformed you, in order for you to truly be a demon, you had to get some kind of magic. Whether it was intention or just coincidence, she gave you water. She probably wasn't really thinking about fire, she just wanted to give you something. So yeah. It really works out though, you're too level-headed for fire. You're calm and rational, water is a really good element for you. It... well, from my studies, water represents flexibility. It can shift and change as needed. You go with the flow. It can also symbolize love, and devotion...” Tom chuckled. “Heh, some really consider it to be the essence of purity. But like you said at dinner a while back, it can be dangerous. It fits you really well. Maybe Star just let the magic decide how it wanted to manifest in you, and that's what it chose.”

Marco nodded slowly, taking his hand. “Interesting. You talk about magic like it has a mind of its own.”

“In a way, it does. Surely you noticed that while learning it. It can be resistant to newcomers, but as you grow familiar with it, it responds more easily. Magic does not allow itself to be used unless you know what you're doing. Otherwise it's likely to hurt you.”

“Oh yeah. Yeah, guess you're right.” Marco idly swung his feet back and forth in the water, watching ripples spread out. He looked at the marks on his leg. “Doesn't water represent healing?”

“Yeah.”

“Hm.” Marco reached down, concentrating. Water flowed up to his knee, circling his lower leg. He wasn't sure if this would work, but figured it was worth a shot. He willed it to mend the wounds, and to his surprise, it did. The bruising faded and the punctures disappeared, fresh skin growing over them. Within moments, all trace of the injuries were gone. He lifted his hand, and the water splashed back down.

“Marco, holy fuck!” Tom said that a bit too loudly, and cleared his throat when people stared at him. He apologized, and leaned in close. “You have healing powers.”

“Yeah.”

“Since when?”

“Um... I guess since now? Honestly I've never tried that before.”

“You just keep on amazing me.” Tom nuzzled him. “Water demons are rare in the Underworld. But you guys are known to be incredibly powerful. And with you in charge, I can see you inspiring those who have unusual elemental affiliations to just be themselves. We're better united than separated, you know?”

“Yeah.” Marco gave him a brief kiss, then slipped back into the water. Tom followed, and they swam around for a bit, just chatting, occasionally getting into splash fights. Tom was pretty comfortable in the water now, saying it was pretty refreshing. Unlike swimming in lava, which was more invigorating than anything. You just had to be naked. Any clothes you go in with would be burnt off immediately, so why bother wearing them in the first place?

“I wonder if I could swim in lava,” Marco mused. “I can touch fire like the rest of you, but I haven't tried lava.”

“We could find out when we go back.”

“We could.”

When they were done swimming, they moved over to the hot tub, sinking in and relaxing. The heat was wonderful to both of them, and they started dozing off while sitting together, Marco's head resting on Tom's chest. No one bothered them, and it took a few minutes before Tom jerked back awake, realizing where they were at. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. “Goodness, that's too comfortable. C'mon Marco, wake up.”

Marco blinked up at him, then stretched. “We need a hot tub at home.”

“I'll see about getting one installed. We shouldn't fall asleep here, though. Let's walk around a bit.”

“Mmkay.”

They climbed out and dried off. After retrieving their belongings from the table they had set them on nearby, they explored the hotel. They found the restaurant that had been mentioned, and poked their heads into the fitness center. It had every piece of equipment one could think of, and Tom commented about possibly using the treadmill later, before deciding that he could run outside. They moved on.

They checked out each floor, just to see if there was anything else of interest. There were conference rooms of varying sizes, sitting areas, and vending machines. They made their way back up to their own room. In the short time they were gone, room service had already snuck in and tidied it up. They returned to the couch, getting back to their marathon. Marco chatted with people on Facebook about his wedding. It occurred to him that he really should have told more people about becoming a demon and running off to rule the Underworld. Oops. Well, now they knew.

He was replying to a comment when Tom got a phone call. Curious, he looked over as Tom answered the phone. “Hello? Oh, hey Mom.”

Marco scooted over, resting his head on his shoulder as he listened in.

Tom ran his hand along Marco's arm as he talked. “Nah, I'm not busy, we're just chilling. Yeah, Marco's with me. How are things?”

Marco was close enough to hear her reply. “Same as always. We've cleaned up the ballroom and such. There have already been some complaints, some attempts to convince us that Marco can't be a lord, but we've already addressed the validity of his position. He married the prince. Therefore, he is just as much of a monarch as you are.”

“Yeah, we noticed he's gotten some opposition. There were a lot of curses in the gifts. But no big deal. We can handle anything people throw at him. Seems to me like they're just angry I chose someone out of love and not for fortune or anything.”

“Well it is rather unusual, at least as far as our lineage goes... But whatever makes you happy. I just wanted to make sure your honeymoon was going well.”

“Ah yeah, super well. Hawaii is so pretty, we explored the island, tried a lot of good food, went parasailing, we swam in the ocean... it's been fun. And today we've mostly been relaxing in our room. I don't know what we'll do tomorrow.”

“I'm glad you're having fun. Hopefully the humans aren't giving you too much trouble.”

“They aren't. No one seems to want to bring up how we're obviously not human, actually. It's kinda funny. They just kinda accepted us.” Tom's palm slipped down to Marco's waist. “And apparently there are mermaids around here.”

“Really? Mermaids?” Christine seemed surprised.

“Yeah. They seem to really hate demons. Especially ones that can control water like Marco. The one we met set a shark on him. Luckily he fought it off. But yeah, I'd always heard that mermaids didn't like us, but I guess that kinda proved it.”

“I guess I should have warned you about that, but I figured what are the odds one of them would find a pair of demons in such a huge area. Huh. Well, as long as you're okay.”

“Oh yeah, totally. And we'll be a lot more careful now.”

“I hope so. I have to go, I have to meet with General Skullen. I'll see you when you get back, my son.”

“Alright. See you then.” Tom lowered the phone, ending the call. He tossed it onto the table.

“Rude, she should have warned us about the mermaids,” Marco said.

“Like she said, she probably didn't think they'd find us. But hey, at least it was just one of them and not a bunch. And remember, that one was tipped off about us. If not for that, we probably would have been left alone.”

Marco nodded. “Yeah.”

They got back to watching the movie, Tom occasionally having to pick up his phone again to text his dad, who was asking for his opinion on a new policy. “We're going to be pretty busy when we get back,” he said at last.

That was fine. After spending so long preparing for it, Marco was kinda looking forward to finally putting his knowledge to use. He certainly had some plans for the Underworld's government and he hoped it would work out.


	24. Back to Work

The last day in Hawaii was spent much like the first, exploring the area and eating out for every meal. They visited the beach, but didn't go in the water, instead sitting on the shore where the sand was moist and building castles. Neither of them were very good at it, but that didn't stop them from trying. They had a good time anyway. And they amused themselves further by feeding seagulls. At least until a lifeguard told them to stop, at which point they just walked away and fed them on the way back to their hotel.

They went jogging at one point, not bothered by the heat. Afterward they returned to their hotel room and practiced sparring, though they didn't have any weapons so they just had to go hand to hand. They were fairly evenly matched, but Tom had more experience, so he won in the end, getting Marco pinned to the ground. Marco conceded defeat, and riled up from the exercise, pulled Tom down on top of him and kissed him. They stayed down there for several more minutes, before finally stumbling up, laughing and putting their arms around each other for support as they went to shower off.

But finally after a day of relaxation, it was once again night, and they decided to turn in. Tomorrow morning they would head back to the Underworld. They had gotten plenty of pictures during their honeymoon though, and had spent lots of quality time together. They were more than satisfied with their trip. They slept soundly, only being woken up once sunlight started falling across their eyelids.

Marco was the lighter sleeper and woke up first, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He looked at the clock, then rubbed Tom's shoulder. “Time to go home.”

“Mm.” Tom's third eye opened, glancing at him. Then it closed, and Tom rolled partly onto his side, nestling his head into the plump pillows.

“Come on, dork,” Marco scolded. He pulled one of the pillows out from under him. “Time to go.”

Tom growled, but pushed himself up, opening all his eyes. “Alright. But no rush, okay?”

They took their time in getting dressed and packing up. They cleaned up the room themselves, and Marco dug out some money to leave as a tip for housekeeping. They checked multiple times to make sure they had everything, and then finally went downstairs. The keycards were returned, and Tom called up Skeleton Horse from the Underworld.

“Greetings, my king,” he said.

“Good to see you,” Tom replied, opening the carriage door and tossing their luggage in. “Wait here, we're going to get breakfast.”

Skeleton Horse obediently waited in one of the parking spaces while Marco and Tom had a complimentary breakfast in the hotel. They weren't in any hurry, but soon enough they had to get up and move along. They went outside and got in the carriage.

“Feel free to take the scenic route back,” Tom said.

Skeleton Horse nodded, backed out of the parking space, and then started walking through the parking lot, slowly descending into the ground. Everything around them went dark for a bit, then the familiar reds of the Underworld surrounded them. They settled gently onto rock, a good ways outside the palace, and Skeleton Horse casually strolled up to it.

Tom and Marco got to relax for a while longer, listening to music and just chilling, talking about whatever came to mind. Then the carriage rolled to a stop and they had to get out and take their stuff inside. They were immediately greeted by a servant who offered to carry it, and they tried to decline, since it wasn't much, but they were overruled and their stuff pretty much snatched away and hurried upstairs. They shrugged and followed.

Once Tom and Marco had unpacked, their first stop was with Dreyak. The steward was quite pleased to see them, and began telling them about everything they’ve missed.

The two waited patiently, and then Tom said, “Sounds great, and we’ll address all that soon. But we need to know something. Who all did you tell about our honeymoon?”

“Pardon?” Dreyak asked.

“Did anyone come to you asking for details on where we went? This is important so please tell the truth.”

Dreyak thought about it, then said, “Sure, a few. The treasurer needed the details for accounting purposes. Your parents asked just for accountability, in case there was an emergency and they needed to immediately retrieve you. And a few others asked out of curiosity but all I told them was the island and state. Not your hotel or anything.”

Tom sighed, then said, “Do you remember exactly who wanted to know? Like names, or anything?”

“I’m sorry, my king. I didn’t ask. Mostly other royals. Your cousin Mariabella asked, as did a few dukes, hm… Rancor the Fierce was one, and… Oh, George Swiftsteed, he asked and then scoffed and shook his head, I suppose he didn’t think much of the choice of location.”

Tom discarded Ria as a suspect. She liked him too much and was fond of Marco, plus she was too disorganized to put together any sort of assassination attempts. Rancor was a very aggressive leader, in charge of a distant city whose main export was coal and other fuels. He liked Judas and regularly visited the palace. Him and Tom were on decent terms but had a lot of political disagreements. Rancor had visited once after Marco’s arrival and didn’t seem thrilled about him. He could be a suspect.

George was clever but friendly. He took a controversial non-violent approach to problems and was someone Tom greatly appreciated. He wouldn’t kill anyone unless he absolutely had to. No, he couldn’t be it.

“Anyone else?” Tom urged.

“Sir, I was buzzed that night, had a few too many glasses of champagne. My memory is a little fuzzy. But…” He named off a few more. All dismissed, they were allies to Tom who wouldn’t dare offend him. So Rancor was left as his main suspect.

“Thank you, that’ll do,” Tom said.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why so curious?” Dreyak asked.

“Well…” Tom glanced at Marco, who waved his hand and caused the doors to shut. After ensuring it was clear, Tom said, “There was another attempt to kill Marco while we were in Hawaii.”

Dreyak gasped, staring at Marco. “My lord, are you okay?”

“Fine, I lived.” Marco idly shifted his weight, trying not to think about how wounded his leg was.

“It was a mermaid,” Tom explained. “She set a shark on Marco while we were swimming one night. He fought off the shark and she tried to kill him personally, dragging him underwater. He was lucky he can use water magic, otherwise he would have drowned. We got away, but… she said she was told to kill him. That he better give up his title if he knows what’s good for him. Someone in the Underworld can’t stand that Marco married me, and we have to find out who is arranging these assassination attempts. First it was a lethal and rare poison. Now the mermaid attack. Whoever it is has lots of influence. I just need to know who.”

“I am familiar with assassination attempts,” Dreyak said. “Your mother married into royalty. Your father loved her, did all he could to protect her, but she, as rich and popular as she was, faced attacks constantly. After she was coronated, they mostly stopped. Marco will be accepted, I promise. It is simply… our way. If a demon is strong, they’ll survive. If not… they were not fit to rule anyway.”

Tom shook his head. “I don’t buy that. We aren’t savages. I need to know who’s trying to kill my husband. Will you help me investigate or not?”

Dreyak nodded. “I’ll do my best, sir. I can direct you to the chief of the guard and he can get his detectives on it.”

Tom frowned. “I don’t want this becoming a big thing. I don’t want word getting to whoever it is. They may become desperate, and work to stay ahead of us. We need to do this quietly.”

“Of course. It’ll be between us.”

“Only let my parents know, and only if they ask. Otherwise, it’ll be on us, and perhaps one single detective. Got it?”

Dreyak nodded and made a note. “I do hope we catch them. Marco is wonderful and I can see how much you love him. I don’t want anything bad to happen to him.”

Tom took Marco’s hand. “Me neither. We’ll find who’s behind this, and make an example out of them. Maybe that’ll stop anyone else from getting any ideas.”

“Good plan. Will you be needing anything else from me?”

Tom shook his head. “No. We’re gonna head to lunch, and… Then we’re gonna get started on our duties.”

Dreyak smiled. “Yes, sir! Your parents should be there now. We can tell them they’re relieved from duty.”

The three headed to the dining hall. They didn’t really talk, Tom going over what he knew about Rancor’s influence and Marco just trying to figure out what all they’ll need to do during the first official day as king and lord.

Tom and Marco were greeted warmly when they entered the hall, and said hello to everyone who got up to shake their hands. But finally they made it over to their table and took their seats in the center, Tom’s parents to Marco’s left, Dreyak sitting on Tom’s right.

“Good to see you made it back in one piece,” Judas said, clapping Marco’s shoulder.

“Barely,” Marco joked.

“Ran into trouble, I presume?”

“You could say that.” Marco could tell people were listening and didn’t want to seem vulnerable, so he just said, “Hawaii’s got sharks and apparently demons taste good to them.”

Judas laughed and Christine leaned forward to give him a bemused look. “Oh yes, Tom told us about it. I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Oh yeah,” Marco assured her. “I lived and I bet that shark regretted it.” He pulled a rotisserie chicken over and tore the leg off.

“That’s my son in law, going mano a mano with a shark and winning!” Judas exclaimed. “Good on you!”

“Yep. No big deal, it was no match for me,” Marco bragged. It’s not like anyone but Tom saw what happened. “I stabbed it in the nostrils with my claws and it took off like it’d been shot. Hah, it was great. Though… I’ll admit, me being a hydrokinetic helped a lot. I could breathe underwater once I focused.”

“Useful.” Judas tore a strip out of the piece of chicken he was eating. Actually, now that Marco looked, he seemed to be having an entire chicken for lunch and has just worked through most of it by now. “Maybe you could use that ability to finally devastate our enemies, those blasted merpeople. They think they’re untouchable in their underwater kingdom… But you could destroy them!”

Marco shook his head. “I’m just one hydrokinetic. There aren’t many of us. I dunno… And war isn’t really our thing, ya know?”

“Yeah war is terrible for the budget,” Tom said through a mouthful of salad.

“You’ll find a way,” Judas said.

“Well, think about this.” Marco set his fork down. “The merpeople live underwater, right? Most of us don’t like water. Can’t breathe in it. Can’t use fire, our main magic. There are exceptions, like me, but most are like Tom. So underwater is pretty untouchable. Well… They can’t come here either, right? It’s so hot, and dry, plus they don’t have legs, so… They won’t get far. So why don’t we, I don’t know… Just ignore them?”

Judas gave him an affronted look. “After the way their king has insulted our people so many times throughout history?”

“Yeah,” Marco said. “Insults are just words, they mean nothing. If their king intends to do us harm, then I will respond. Otherwise, he can say whatever he likes, and I will ignore his opinion. Besides, and Tom knows this… Why do the merpeople hate us?”

Tom immediately said, “Oh we used to make a sport of netting merpeople and then roasting and eating them.”

Marco lifted his hand. “There you go. We killed their people for fun. Actually that probably still happens. No wonder they hate us. But we can make reparations. I think we can talk about things, and form an alliance. Establish trade, you know?”

“What could they possibly have that we need?” Christine asked skeptically.

“Fish,” Marco replied. “Fish is expensive here, it’s considered a delicacy, since it’s very difficult to raise them here and they basically have to be caught and immediately sold and cooked. Well, merpeople can sell us fish. That’ll make it easier to obtain, and we can just have holding tanks and freezers here for storing them a while longer. And other than fish, they can provide us pearls, stone, and their metals. Their weapons are very finely crafted using an unknown method. Maybe we could find out, if we befriend them.”

Judas looked like he was considering it. Christine wasn’t convinced. “I see. How about us, then? What would we give them?”

“Hey, they see our land animals as delicacies too,” Marco replied. “Send them beef. We have plenty. They seem to like fabrics that won’t fall apart in water. We can design that and trade it to them. Ohh, and paints and instruments. They’re a very artistic society. It’s difficult to make certain things underwater. We can provide them, though.”

Dreyak was taking notes. “Sounds wonderful, my lord. An alliance with the merpeople would be beneficial. I personally enjoy a fine plate of salmon, and their jewelry is to die for.”

“You’re certainly a man with ideas,” Christine commented.

“Thanks, I try.”

Tom took Marco’s hand, leaning in for a kiss. “I told you you’d be good at this,” Tom told him.

“Heh, well… It’s one thing to propose the idea and another to actually manage it,” Marco replied. “But I think we can pull it off.”

“I think so too,” Dreyak said, looking up. “The merpeople have proposed peace before. It has been rejected. In fact, our previous King Judas rejected the idea, didn’t you?”

Judas shrugged a shoulder. “Makes no difference to me whether or not we’re friends with the fish people. I had better things to do.”

“Okay then,” Tom decided. “We’ll see about meeting with them and finding peace. But that’ll have to come later. Dreyak, what’s on the agenda for today?”

Dreyak flipped through his notebook. “Hm, we need to go visit the city of Caligo and meet with the duke there. Just a routine inspection, make sure there are no concerns, and so on…”

“Right. Well, sounds fun.” Tom sighed, rubbing his eyes.

His parents laughed.

“You’ll find most of the job is meetings,” Judas said. “You’ll be both busy and bored. Sorry, son.”

“It’s fine. I knew what I was getting into.” Tom turned to Marco. “Ready to visit Caligo?”

“Never been,” Marco said. “But it sounds nice.”

“Its name means ‘darkness’ or ‘fog’,” Dreyak said. “Just some trivia for you, sir.”

“Oh, man. Why’s it called that?”

Christine seemed amused by the question. “Never visited? Seems like the kind of place you’d like. It’s called that because it’s located away from the lava pools and streams that fill our land. While the rock itself that surrounds us usually releases light, for some reason the geology of Caligo doesn’t. It’s dark without the artificial lighting set up. Quite the gloomy place, all sorts of… nasty business takes place in the shadows. But there is a substantial scientific population there that studies the area. There’s some dark fields and stuff around too, they grow some excellent coffee beans.”

Marco nodded. “Huh, interesting. Is the uh… How’s the duke?”

“Troy Nighteye,” Tom replied. “He’s cheerful and optimistic. And willfully oblivious to the corruption and crime taking place in his city and its surrounding hold. No matter how many times he’s told he needs to crack down on it. But now we can try.”

“Nighteye? How’d he get that name?”

“It’s mostly become a joke about how he doesn’t notice anything, but it was originally due to him spotting an approaching bandit force in the dead of night that was using a cover of darkness. His keen vision saw them anyway and he personally flew out and fought them. None of the bandits survived.”

“Hm.” Marco could respect that.

“Course, that was when he was younger. Now he’s older, and lazy. Now the city is constantly invaded and he just seems to shrug and leaves it to his guards.”

“Wow.”

“But that’s okay. Like I said, we’ll talk to him.” Tom was done eating. He stood, and Marco did as well.

“You’ll never get through to ol Troy,” Judas said with a shake of the head. “As long as he keeps paying us taxes, though, he can run his hold however he wants.”

“We’ll see about that,” Tom said. He turned to Dreyak. “We’ll be ready in… let’s say twenty minutes? We’ll meet you at the main entrance and then we can head out.”

“Yes sir, sounds good, I’ll go get ready.”

They went their separate ways. Tom and Marco had to go change, putting on nicer clothing. Slacks and collared shirts, but they left the top couple buttons undone, and the sleeves were short. They put on their crowns and looked themselves over, then slid on loafers and headed back downstairs.

They met with Dreyak at the entrance to the palace, and he led the way. One could teleport across the miles of distance to the other city, but it was seen as rude to just teleport onto a duke’s doorstep for a formal visit. So instead, they would be traveling by carriage.

It wasn’t Tom’s usual one though. This was the royal carriage reserved for official duties, which Marco has only seen from a distance until now. It was large, pulled by two powerful horses who _weren’t_ skeletons, who instead had dusky black coats and piercing red eyes. These horses watched them approach, and Tom ran his hand along one’s muzzle while Marco stood back. They looked dangerous.

“These guys are so badass,” Tom said, patting the stallion’s cheek. “Like this one here. Once saw a thief sneaking along the wall of the palace, jumped out of his stall and ran over to trample him to death. Heh, we decided to trust them with free roam of the grounds then.”

“Wow.” Marco had been about to pet the creature, but now he decided against it. “What are their names?”

“This is Midnight’s Moon Beam. Long name so we call him Moon. His brother over here is Darkness’s True Horror. Just Darky for short.”

The other stallion snorted and tossed his head.

“Darky,” Marco stated, amused. Then he said, “Wait, brother? Is one older, or…”

“Nope. They’re twins.” Tom went over to Darky, wrapping his arms around his neck and pulling his head down so he could rest their foreheads together. The massive horse allowed it. “Darky here was born second. I don’t know how much you know about horses, but typically they only have one foal at a time. If two are born, one is usually weaker and ends up dying. Well… Darky was the runt. But he didn’t give up that easily. He insisted on living, and we took very good care of him, and he survived. And here he is, just as strong as his brother.”

Marco smiled. “Wow. So, why the name? Darkness’s True Horror?”

“Horse names always gotta be long if you want them to be unique. Anyway, we hadn’t realized their mother was pregnant with two foals. Moon was the only one we had planned a name for. Darky just kinda… showed up. He was hell on his poor mother, came out real bloody. Pretty horrifying. And they were born in the middle of the night. So yeah. That’s the name we came up with.”

Tom let go of the horse and finally went to enter the carriage along with Marco. Dreyak gave the horses a command, and they took off running. They were incredibly fast, easily hitting 30 miles per hour and tearing through the gates, heading down the road.

Tom continued to talk about the horses. “They’re twelve. I was six when they were born and I’ll never forget it.”

“Are their parents still around?” Marco asked.

“Yeah. Well, their dad is. The mother died a few years after their birth. They were her last children. We buried her behind the palace. Moon and Darky both were there to see her off. Took forever to actually get them to stop standing there at her grave and staring at it. But yeah, their father is Lava Jumper, who used to pull this carriage. Alone. A mighty beast he is, but now he’s old, nearly thirty, so he’s living out his twilight years comfortably in a pasture outside the capital. Maybe I’ll take you to see him. He’s nearly blind but he still likes seeing his sons.”

Outside, they could hear the horses whinny.

Tom didn’t seem concerned. “Oh, we must have just passed the field Lava lives in. They always say hi to him when we go this way.”

“How come the horse that pulls your carriage can talk but these ones can’t?” Marco asked.

Tom raised a brow, then leaned out the window. “Hey Moon, hey Darky!”

“Hi, King Tom!” two similar, deep voices replied.

Tom smirked at Marco. “They just didn’t have anything to say to us.”

“Oh.” Marco felt kinda silly now. Of course the Underworld horses could talk. Of course.

“‘Sides, these are my horses now,” Tom said. “And my carriage. We’ll be using this for any long trips we want to make an impression on. But for other personal trips, we’ll keep using Skeleton Horse. I’ve grown fond of him.”

Their steeds powered on, not seeming to need to slow down like regular horses. Marco just sat back in the comfortable seat and listened as Dreyak went over the items they’ll be addressing when they arrive. He hoped the visit goes well.


	25. Preparations

Slowly, Marco and Tom settled into their position as monarchs. Despite all their preparations, it wasn't easy. Their meeting with Troy had gone alright, with Marco managing to negotiate some terms with him and Tom using just enough intimidation to make him agree to start putting more effort into controlling the rampant crime in his hold. But there were other meetings that didn't go so well. They were often laughed at and shouted over whenever they tried to handle things peacefully, and more than once, they just had to put their foot down and use their position as the leaders of the Underworld to force their dukes and other politicians to do what was right. It didn't reflect well on them, and they were regularly being mocked as spineless and liberal.

They didn't let it get them down, though. They just kept on with their plans. After much discussion, Marco and Tom had decided that change was needed. They didn't want to run a dictatorship. So using Marco's knowledge of Earth government, they were going to transform the system into a constitutional monarchy. They couldn't do this quickly without resistance, but slowly and surely, they were going to accomplish it. They had years to do so.

Tom's parents had their concerns, as did Dreyak, and all the various dukes. But Tom and Marco laid out very clearly their ideas so the public would know, and welcomed suggestions and criticism. The people responded positively, taking advantage of the ability to provide feedback to their rulers, something they couldn't really do before.

One of the first big tasks they underwent was examining all of the current laws in place and deciding whether they needed to be adjusted or removed entirely. There were a lot of unnecessary and petty ones, things that could never properly be enforced, and ones that shouldn't be, such as a statute forbidding public decrying of the monarchs, laws regulating duels to the death, and more. Each law was picked over, and it took weeks of work and countless hours in the library studying and talking to lawyers, but eventually they were able to send in their revisions.

Then there were the judicial matters. Overseeing the courts, making sure all punishments were fair. Tom and Marco had to quickly institute a law against cruel and unusual punishment, as far too many demons were being executed in horrible, painful ways for even the most minor offenses. This was met with some outrage, but generally people were relieved. Maybe thievery wasn't a good thing, but the people who did it shouldn't have to fear death for it.

The two also discreetly had the duke Rancor investigated. But within days they had turned up enough evidence that he had nothing to do with the assassination attempts. They were back to not having any suspects. Yet the attacks continued, in various manners. Marco never fell for poison again, but he did nearly get ran over by a horse just as he and Tom were walking out of the gate to go into town. He had narrowly managed to leap out of its way, and its rider swore and hopped back, teleporting away before they could see them. A robber put him at knifepoint as he went on a walk and he was nearly cut before managing to fight them off and break their arm, at which point he was able to slam them into a wall and knock them out, calling for the guards. As he attended an archery show the guards were putting on, a “rogue” guard shot at him instead of the target, and her aim had been so flawless that if he hadn't jumped, he would have been impaled in the chest. As it was, he was still hit in the gut, and had to be quickly moved back inside so the arrow could be removed, as the leader of the unit apologized profusely and told him that this was exactly why they used dulled tips during shows. It still hurt terribly and Marco called off the rest of his duties for the day, choosing to instead lie down.

Tom's subsequent interrogation of the archer gave him nothing. Even when he had Archedon use a truth serum on her, she simply clamped her mouth shut and didn't even speak at all, which prevented her from spilling the truth. Her bunk was searched for clues. None were found. Frustrated, Tom had her locked in the dungeon, and returned to his room in a huff. And there were countless more attempts.

“I just wish I could find out who's behind it all,” Tom lamented as he paced.

Marco sighed from the bed, where he was laying down, trying to ignore his growing headache. “Maybe they aren't all connected. Maybe some are just random attempts. People hate us.”

“No... someone just has it out for you,” Tom replied. “Nothing has happened to me. Nothing at all. I just want to stop the person behind it. I don't want them to succeed.”

“Me neither. But whoever they are, they're good at hiding. They make everyone else do their dirty work.”

Tom came over to sit on the bed, reaching down to rub Marco's back. “Maybe it's time that we took drastic measures.”

Marco glanced at him, ears perking. “What?”

“I think we should start investigating our own palace workers. I know they all swore loyalty, and all seem to adore us, but... any of them could be doing this. Most of them certainly have the influence.”

“I thought we did look into them?”

“Not as thoroughly as we could have. I'm talking... Searching their rooms. Privately interrogating them. Having them followed. It... will seem like we don't trust them. But what else can we do?”

Marco nodded slowly. “If you think it'll accomplish anything. But honestly... I had another idea.”

“What's that?”

“Intentionally set myself up for a perfect attempt. Do something super public, where we can predict how someone could kill me as I do it. Then we can watch who orders the relevant supplies, and get a suspect list. And when the attempt comes, I can avoid it, and immediately capture whoever does it. And we'll force them to take that truth serum, and see if we can get answers. Someone's gotta spill the beans eventually, right?”

Tom blinked, then said, “That's convoluted but it could just work. But... the thing about truth serums is they only work as long as the person's compelled to talk. If they realize they can just close their mouth, they can keep from talking. No doubt everyone who's being hired to kill you is told that.”

Marco smiled. “Then use a little compulsion magic on them.”

“That's dark magic, I don't feel comfortable using that...”

“And I don't feel comfortable getting attacked all the time. I think forcing one person to talk is the least evil thing we could do.”

“Guess so. It'd be hard to pull off though. Which of us should cast it?”

Marco sat up, setting his hand on Tom's shoulder. “I think you'd be better at it. Meanwhile, I can do the talking. We can get someone to talk.”

“Well, alright.” Tom smiled, leaning in to brush his lips over Marco's forehead. “We can try it. Now let's get some sleep, alright? We're holding audiences tomorrow morning and I'm sure we'll have to talk to a lot of people.”

“Yeah... I'm sure we will.”

 

They weren't able to get started on Marco's plan right away. Work was piling up. There was a lot to keep track of and they were struggling to maintain their schedules, as much as Dreyak hurried them around and reminded them of what they had to do. It was stressful, and they had to prioritize their duties. But there were small victories. Marco took on a project to redistribute funding, and called for more focus on education and healthcare, taking away from the vast spending of the military and prisons. The media tried to spin this negatively at first, running stories about soldiers and prison workers losing their jobs, about criminals roaming the streets... but the results spoke for themselves. Crime rates went down. Employment went up. The military became a little smaller but more streamlined and better-trained, their resources managed more efficiently. Prisons didn't have to retain inmates near as long before reforming them and returning them to society. Marco nearly perfectly sorted out all the taxes required, and received praise from the accountants he worked with, though he simply replied that he's always been good with math. This won him some adoration.

And Tom worked to investigate noble corruption, finding out that a significant number of politicians, even ones within his very court, were falsely reporting their profits, taking money from their programs to line their own pockets while leaving the citizens with the bare minimum. People were starving without need and Tom was furious at just how many shipments of food were being reported as less than they really were. He came down hard on the ones responsible, immediately removing them from their positions and hiring more trustworthy individuals. This raised some brows, as many weren't royal, but people stopped caring once the new hires proved to be better than their predecessors.

The days were hectic but productive, and finally, Tom and Marco were able to catch up on their work, and get into the groove of things. They stopped having to rely on Tom's parents as much, and were getting less complaints from their subjects about neglecting this or that. They enjoyed being able to relax more, and after about three months, began their plan to locate the one behind the assassination attempts.

Tom and Marco were going to, very publicly, attend a parade in a nearby city. They made it known where they would be standing to watch it and which events they planned on going to afterward. They decided to mention this to the media the day before it started, leaving almost no time for someone to enter the lineup of floats and performers. Yet, through keeping tabs on the lineup, they found out that a single person was able to buy their way in last minute.

“A swordsman using the stage name Gallant,” Tom stated from his laptop, having hacked the chamber of commerce's server. “There are very few details on them. Their act involves showing off swordfighting techniques as they march along, spinning and slashing as if fighting an invisible foe. Sounds cool, huh?”

“Oh yeah,” Marco agreed. “And I bet they're gonna go wild, jump over the fence, and skewer someone in the crowd. That someone being me.”

Tom leaned back in his chair. “There isn't gonna be a fence. We're just going to be along the side of the road. Whatever happens, happens.”

“Yep. But we'll be ready. Does it say where they'll be?”

“Undecided. They'll fit them into the lineup tomorrow, wherever they fit best.”

“I hope this works,” Marco said. “I really don't want to deal with this any longer.”

“I know you don't. I don't want to see you put at risk either. But we'll get them. We'll make this person talk. I've been practicing the compulsion spell and I think I've got it down.”

That got Marco's interest. “Really? Think you could show me?”

“That requires me to tell you what to do. Are you sure?”

“Yeah. You have my permission to practice it on me.”

“Alright.” Tom turned toward him, focusing and murmuring a spell as he gazed at Marco. He saw the other's back straighten, and said, “Do a handstand.”

With no question, Marco got down and attempted to stand on his hands. He was able to do it, and he held the position, despite how his arms started to shake.

After a few moments, Tom quietly said the counterspell. Marco immediately pitched forward and fell onto his back with a grunt. Laughing, Tom went to help him up. “I guess it worked.”

“Y-yeah, there's no way I would have done that otherwise.” Marco rubbed his back. “That was... weird.”

“How'd it feel? The spell, I mean?”

“Hard to explain. It feels like I just kinda... blanked. I was cool with doing whatever I was asked to.”

“Yeah, that's pretty much how it works.” Tom turned back to his computer. “Okay. So tomorrow, we go to this parade. We keep an eye out for Gallant. Since we are the king and lord, odds are a lot of the participants are going to slow and speak to us. Our guards, which we'll probably only have a few of, are going to be standing back so we don't seem defensive. Which is the perfect opportunity for a swordsman to just whip out their weapon and stab one of us. Be ready.”

“What happens if I'm not fast enough and I get stabbed?”

Tom took his hand. “That won't happen. You're too quick. But I understand your concern and I took the liberty of getting you body armor. Completely discreet, no one knows I have this.” He went to open his closet, pulling out a thin vest. “Doesn't look like much, but I promise, it's impenetrable. Go ahead, try.” He tossed it to Marco. It was heavier than it looked, woven from coarse strands of material. He tried to scratch it, rip it open, and could do nothing to it. Not even when he took a knife to it. Satisfied, he set it on his dresser. “Just put that under your clothes and you'll be good to go. Imagine the look on their face when they can't stab you.”

Marco laughed. “Yeah.”

Tom turned off his computer and went over to the bed, tugging off his clothes and stretching. “Hopefully this will all be settled tomorrow.”

“Hopefully. And I hope we see a good parade while we're at it,” Marco agreed, following his lead and climbing into bed with him.

Tom snuggled close to him, stroking his side. “I've been to it before, it's fantastic. No matter what happens, we're still gonna have fun.”


	26. Uncovered

The monarchs didn't try to be sneaky at all the next morning. They ate breakfast in the dining hall and spoke to others about the parade. They said goodbye and left the palace, going by carriage to the city that would be hosting the event. It wasn't a long trip, and soon they were there. They spent several minutes talking to citizens, and then spoke to the duke, who would be sitting near them to watch the parade. Then they sat down, in the comfortable chairs that had been brought out to them, at about the halfway point of the parade. They continued to have conversations with those nearest them, smiling and shaking hands, even posing for photos. A lot of people got selfies with them and they were polite about it, enjoying the attention. They genuinely liked getting out of the palace and seeing people. They didn't get to do it often.

They ended up with a family near them, their young child insisting on running in circles around them, which was quite amusing. They watched her until fanfare in the distance announced the beginning of the parade.

Now the parents attempted to settle their daughter, who ignored them. She was of a species that was born with wings, and she kept jumping and fluttering about, blocking people's view. Finally Tom reached up to catch her and set her down in his lap, and she happily sat still, babbling about being held by the king and all her friends were totally gonna be jealous. She made sure her parents took a picture.

“Please, if she's trouble, I can take her,” her mother said worriedly.

Tom just laughed. “It's quite alright, she can sit here. Right now, I'm not really the king, I'm just another guy enjoying the parade.”

Marco reached over to take his hand, smiling at him. Then they craned their heads to look down the road, trying to see who was coming. The parade started a good mile away, but the road was fairly flat, so they were able to see the start of the parade. It seemed to be a marching band, playing the music they could hear from here.

They had to wait several minutes, but finally the band was moving past them, playing more energetically, the ones that could waving to the monarchs and smiling at them. They waved back, cheering. Behind the band was a group of dancers, all twirling and swirling ropes of fire around their bodies, hips swaying and feet tapping, clad in sparkly leotards. One of them broke away from the group to skip over to the side of the road, leaning forward to take Tom's hand and kiss it, then Marco's. They were both quite flattered, and complimented the performance.

There were baton throwers, horse riders, cyclists. Then came vehicles and floats, some simply advertising various companies, others doing themes. A float decorated with flowers threw necklaces to both sides, and Tom caught one to drape around Marco's neck. A vehicle holding a pageant winner came through with candy, much to the delight of the crowd.

There were several entrants doing magic as they walked, which was entertaining.

But as fun as the show was, the monarchs kept their eye out for anyone carrying weapons. There was a troupe that was stage fighting with battleaxes, but they clearly weren't what they were looking for. There were too many and they were overly dramatic, grinning and shouting cliché phrases, and when they got up to the king and lord, they bowed and thanked them for their glorious leadership, before battling on.

It was only a few spots down, however, that they saw the swordsman. Dressed like a knight, face and body concealed with shiny metal, they were swinging their sword to and fro, to much awe.

Tom silently handed the child he was holding back to her mother, not wanting her to get in the way. Marco straightened ever so slightly, hand going to his pocket to check that he still had the truth serum they had secured from Archedon earlier.

Behind the knight was a small demon with a sign that read Gallant in hastily painted, red letters. They looked like they didn't want to be there. As if they had been pulled along for the job at the last minute.

Gallant slowed in their sword thrusts as they got closer to Tom and Marco, then sheathed the weapon and hopped forward, going to the side to greet them.

“Good day, my lords,” they said.

“Good day to you, fair knight,” Tom replied. “And who might you be?”

“The valiant Sir Gallant, at your service!”

“Ah, a pleasure to meet you, sir. Might you honor us by removing your helmet?”

There was a pause, and Gallant said, “Ah, I would... but you see, it is part of my uniform, and to replace it is rather difficult without assistance.”

“Then perhaps, just lift the visor?” Tom asked. He was trying to see through it, but all he could make out were green eyes. His skin seemed to be a dull gray.

“Of course...” Gallant pushed it up, revealing that his eyes were indeed surrounded by gray skin, slightly pebbly. A common enough color for demons and not much to identify someone by. He stepped past to greet Marco, shaking his hand. Marco smiled, meeting his eyes as he shook. And then he heard a soft slide of metal, but before he could react, Gallant had lunged forward and stabbed his sword straight at his heart.

It cut his shirt and caught in the vest, but despite not going through, it still knocked the breath out of Marco. It had been too fast to stop, but now he grabbed Gallant's wrist and twisted it, forcing him to release the sword. It dropped to the ground and the people around them let out startled screams as they realized what happened, scrambling back. Their guards hurried forward and the duke cried out indignantly.

“One step ahead of you, huh?” Marco said in response to Gallant's confused expression. He grabbed his helmet and wrenched it off. White hair spilled down his shoulders, and his entire face was revealed. He seemed middle-aged, no doubt an experienced swordsman. He may even be a true knight who had earned his title. But none of that mattered now.

The parade ground to a halt as everyone stared at the person who had assaulted the lord. Marco gave Gallant a confident smile.

“We knew someone would attack us here. It seemed so easy. But we knew what to look for, and when we saw that a swordsman entered last minute, well... we knew they weren't just here for the art.” Marco gestured to the guards, and they held the man's arms tightly, forcing him onto his knees. He scowled and struggled.

“S-sir, I was paid very well for your life, I could have spent the rest of my life without worry if I just killed you as I had been asked.”

“If you truly are a knight, you are sworn to protect the reigning monarchs. You have failed in your duty and that is punishable by exile. But you aren't going anywhere yet. First, you're going to tell me who put you up to this.” Marco could tell Gallant was distracted by the fact that his sword hadn't pierced him, so he decided to answer that question, tugging his shirt up. “I was wearing armor. Anyway, talk.”

Gallant looked stubbornly at the ground. “I shall not or I surely face death.”

Marco sighed. “I've heard that one before. But that's fine.” He took out the serum, uncapping it. “We have ways to deal with that.”

Gallant stared at him, then struggled. “It won't work, I won't talk!”

“Sure you won't.” Marco grabbed his chin and forced his mouth open, pouring the potion in. He had to hold his mouth shut, plugging his nostrils, and finally he swallowed it. Marco let go, and he coughed, shaking his head. When he looked back at him, his eyes were glazed over. “Who hired you?”

Gallant started to speak, then closed his mouth, refusing to make eye contact.

It was Tom's turn now. He whispered his spell, turning Gallant's face toward his. He saw his eyelids droop, and said, “Come on, speak to us. Tell us what we want to know, and we will ensure your protection. Whoever's behind this will be properly dealt with, and you will be exiled, and that will be that.”

Gallant replied, “My king, I am sure you do not wish to hear this. But the one who asked me to do this... I never saw her face, she hid behind a veil and wore a cloak. But I would recognize her voice anywhere, as she had been there when I was knighted. She came to me personally with this job, saying she couldn't trust a middleman or the mail. It... it was the queen who came before you. Christine.”

Marco took a step back and Tom's blood ran cold. He could hear the crowd murmuring. Everyone had gone silent to listen. There were members of the press here. The duke was talking in a low voice to someone near him. Tom just couldn't respond to that, struggling to process it, leaving Marco to reply.

“Are you sure?” Marco said. “Was it really Queen Christine?”

“Yes, my lord. I am certain it was her. She threatened to kill me should I ever tell. Please sir, I was afraid for my life, she can be fearsome when upset...”

Tom's fingers clenched. He spun and teleported away.

“Oh no,” Marco muttered. He glanced at Gallant, then said to the guards, “Take him to the dungeon back at my palace, I will decide what to do with him later. Ensure he is protected. No one may approach him without a guide unless it's me or Tom. Now go.”

They nodded and dragged the knight away. Marco's head was reeling. The parade was all but stopped, and likely wouldn't resume now. He quickly apologized to those near him and asked a remaining guard to please make sure his carriage was returned to the palace. Then he teleported back. He wasn't sure where Tom had gone, so he decided to check the bedroom first. He wasn't there, so he went to the study where Christine and Judas tended to work unless they were needed. There, he found his husband.

Tom was in the middle of screaming at his mother, being held back only by his father, tears running down his face while Christine just watched him coolly. When Marco walked up behind him, however, her eyes widened.

“So you're behind it all,” Marco said.

Tom fell silent, looking at him. Then he said, “I'm taking care of it.”

“Clearly.” Marco set a hand on his shoulder, then walked past him. He met Christine's eyes, refusing to break contact. “Christine. Was it really you?”

“I don't know why you're accusing me of conspiracy against you,” she replied. “I could never harm the man my son loves.”

“Drop the act,” Marco said firmly. “A knight under the influence of a truth serum confessed to being hired by you. And you know as well as I that once you speak after drinking a truth serum, everything you say is the truth.”

She frowned, looking away.

“I'll force the rest down your throat if I have to,” Marco threatened.

“Honey, tell the truth,” Judas spoke up. “Have you been behind these dreadful assassination attempts?”

She closed her eyes, squaring her shoulders. Then she opened them, flinging her hand and knocking a vase off a table. It shattered when it hit the floor and she said, “Yes, I did put them together. Well, a few truly were other parties. But most were me. Yes, no use denying it, I organized it all. The poison before Marco swore in, that mermaid attack, the archery, all of it was my doing. I wished to make it seem like an accident or rogue mercenary. He would be dead and my son could marry a proper royal who actually knows how to run the kingdom, not this bleeding heart piece of shit who'd probably cry at the sight of an injured vulture!”

Judas tightened his grip on Tom's shoulders, but Tom yanked free of him, yelling, “I love him! He's kind and wise and exactly what this kingdom needs after an eternity of violence and selfishness! Our people could be great, and he wants us to be great!”

“We're already great!” she yelled back. Bright blue flames flared up, forming an arc behind her and to her sides, casting her face into sharp flickering light. Marco took a startled step back, but Tom wasn't intimidated.

“No, we're not! Killing everyone who opposes you doesn't make you great, it makes you a bloodthirsty tyrant! We're going to make the Underworld a wonderful place to live in, and we're going to prove to the rest of our people that we don't have to be angry and violent to have power! We're going to work together, support each other, make friends, and have powerful allies through trust! It's going to work, and we're going to prove it!” Tom slammed his foot down.

She scowled, straightening her back, and turned away from him. The vivid flames immediately died as she composed herself. “I'm sure you will. Oh, and that's not the worst part.” Christine stalked past him, grabbing Marco by the chin. “This boy isn't even a natural born demon.”

Marco tensed. “What? Of course I-”

“No, you're not. I searched for records of your birth in DeVille Point. None existed. None of my sources there have ever heard of you. No one there recognized you. Especially not anyone at the salon that Tom claimed he met you at.”

Marco took a nervous step back, and Tom went to take his hand. “Well, maybe...”

Christine got back into his space. “You aren't from here. You may be a demon now, but you were born something else.” She smirked. “If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say... human.”

Judas gasped, and Tom defensively got in front of Marco. “You have no proof.”

“Those humans he claimed to be his adoptive parents? I bet those are his real parents, aren't they?” When neither of them responded, she continued, “Honestly, the man looked so much like him, and he has the eyes of the woman. And I could smell their relation. And even if I didn't notice all that...” She shook her head. “Marco has been your friend for years, you think I wouldn't recognize him? I didn't see him often but I had seen him enough. I knew who he was right from the start.”

Tom's eyes widened. “You knew. You knew he was my friend, that I liked being around him, and you tried to have him killed anyway. Just because you're too selfish and narrow-minded to understand that there's more than one way to run a kingdom, that the Underworld needs a change of pace. You just couldn't stand the thought of change, you wanted things to go on like they always have. Well, too bad. Marco is a demon now, and he always will be, and he's my husband. He is now just as royal as I am and that cannot be taken away from him. And I will not allow you to keep trying to kill him.” He raised his voice, barking, “Guards!”

Christine didn't show worry, even as armed demons entered the room, weapons drawn.

Tom couldn't stand to look at her. He was turned away, eyes closed. “Guards, arrest Christine on account of conspiracy and treason against the kings. She is behind the many assassination attempts against Marco. Don't hurt her, but... lock her up. And don't allow her to send or receive any messages without screening them.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

Tom opened his eyes now, watching as they walked by to get Christine. She drew herself up, scoffing, but allowed them to draw her arms behind her back. She walked with them silently, casting Marco a withering glare.

“You should have known not to mess with me,” he replied quietly.

“Any royal other than you would have slit my throat for this,” she said in response. “You are no lord.”

“I'm not like those before me,” he answered. “If I kill you, what message does that send? It will make me just as bad as you. You made a choice and now you will live with it.”

She just shook her head, and then she was out the door.

A couple moments passed with no one speaking, then Marco's legs went weak. He stumbled and fell into Tom's arms, shaking. “It was her. It was her all along, I can't believe... I thought she had accepted me, even liked me, I...”

“I know, I thought so too, my mom has always been overly critical, but... I never thought she'd try to kill you.” Tom held him close. “I should have realized though, of course she had the influence to make anyone listen to her, even once she stopped being the queen. She was beloved by the most gruesome of our people, she just had to find people who didn't like you, and send them to do her dirty work... she could provide them with anything. Buy the silent death, tip off a mermaid about a demon she can eat, get an archer to go rogue, anything. But gods... why did she have to do all this?”

“I never realized what she was doing,” Judas said. “Honestly, and you can make me drink truth serum and I'd still tell you, I didn't know. We talked about the attempts and she always made it seem like it was just barbarians. I... I had no idea it was her.”

“She had to keep it secret from everyone,” Marco said. “She put her minions under oath, she threatened them, and they listened. Most of us would do the same. But... it's over. It's over, and this will soon be all over the news.”

“Yeah... but soon it'll go away,” Tom said. “Being a royal is always nasty business. This situation has played out many times in our history. Sometimes it ends with death. And other times, it doesn't. History will remember that you lived, and everyone will move on. Maybe now, we can focus on what's important.”

Marco took his hand. “Are you really okay with putting your mom in prison?”

“She'll stay here in the dungeons. She'll be looked after, security 24/7, and I'll make sure they bring her proper meals. I... can't say I'm too okay with it. But it's necessary. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”

Marco nodded, resting his head against Tom's chest. “Do you think you'll ever let her out?”

“Maybe one day. But not for a while.” Tom looked at Judas. “Are you willing to stay here as my adviser? I'll understand if you want to quit.”

“No, I'll continue. I want to keep helping you. I'll visit Christine whenever I can, but I won't let her mistakes affect me.” Judas patted Marco's shoulder. “I'm sorry for what she put you through. My wife has always been subtle and vicious. She had many of my rivals killed in similar ways to what she tried to do to you. I should have realized it was her... but I commend you for surviving.”

“I'm pretty tough,” Marco replied. He leaned back from Tom, reaching up to stroke his cheek. “Seriously, Tom. Are you okay?”

“I'm fine.” Tom's eyes seemed watery, but he just pushed Marco's hands back. “Just... I'm still in disbelief. My mom... I need to sit down.”

“We should probably let people know exactly what just happened, before the news starts making stuff up,” Marco pointed out.

“I know, but... later. Let's just relax right now.” Tom went to sink into a chair, and after a moment, Marco went to join him.

“It's too bad we didn't get to see the whole parade,” Marco said.

“There's always next year. And there will always be other parades.”

Judas hovered there for a moment, then decided, “How about I bring you boys some lemonade? You look like you need a drink.”

“Make it hard lemonade,” Tom replied.

“I couldn't agree more. Be right back.” Judas hurried out.

Marco leaned back in the chair, and Tom rested an arm around him. “So... what do we do for the rest of today?”

Tom winced. “We speak to the media about this scandal. You explain how you outsmarted my mom and got the truth. I tell everyone how I never could have expected this. Then we let them decide how they want to report it and we go back to our job. This afternoon we're gonna work on the legislation regarding animal abuse. Tomorrow we attend the weekly budget meeting and later meet with a few experts about our constitutional monarchy idea. Same old stuff.”

“Yeah. Life goes on.” Marco closed his eyes. He could really go for a nap.

“We'll need to officially hold a trial for Gallant,” Tom continued. “And for Mom. We did say that we would give all criminals due process. It's only fair. And with our involvement, we'll definitely need to be there.”

“Of course.”

“We'll figure it all out. We always do.”

“Yeah.” Marco had to admit, despite how upsetting this was, he was relieved it was over. He wanted to be able to focus on his duties without worrying about being attacked, and now he could. He would remain vigilant of course, but he was optimistic. He couldn't wait to see what the next weeks would bring.


	27. Trial

Within days, everyone knew about the scandal with the previous queen. Marco and Tom were constantly being asked about it, even after telling the media all there was to it, and finally Tom had to tell everyone to leave them alone, they had said all they could on the subject. Those curious would just have to wait until Christine's trial if they wanted to find out her motives and what her punishment would be.

Judas agreed not to tell anyone about Marco being born human. He decided it didn't matter, and admitted that Marco's different upbringing would likely bring wonderful new ideas that the Underworld needed. He continued his advisory duties with very little change, though Tom sometimes caught him gazing wistfully at seats where his wife usually sat, and he tended to get frustrated more often, now that she wasn't around to calm him down. When Judas blew up at another worker for bumping into him, Tom had to take him aside and talk to him about it, before convincing him to take some time off. He needed it.

It was a little difficult getting by without their advisers, but the monarchs managed. Tom in particular was very confident in his position by now, and rarely needed to ask for help with anything. He felt that he and Marco were doing very well. They were no longer being resisted at every turn, their people instead keeping an open mind and letting them implement change, curious to see how it would turn out. A lot of their decisions still caused controversy, but it was good to get everyone talking about it and understanding why the decision was made. And Marco was no longer being attacked. Once Christine was arrested, everyone just seemed to decide it wasn't worth it. If she couldn't get away with it, no one could.

Things became comfortable, or as much as they could be. The new husbands were able to spend more intimate time together, sharing long talks into the night, always reaffirming how much in love they were.

A month after the arrest of Christine and Gallant, the trials for the two were set. Christine's would be first, and Tom planned on being there to ensure that the judge didn't accept any bribery from her. There was a known history of the court pardoning people who had enough money and fame, and that could not happen again. Tom didn't want to see his mother imprisoned, but knew she had to be. She couldn't be allowed to avoid punishment just because of her previous title.

Marco attended too. They sat at the same table as the prosecutor, and made sure Judas was in the crowd as a witness. And Christine sat next to her lawyer, unperturbed. This was mostly a formality. Tom has already talked to her privately in the dungeon, and she had agreed to tell the truth. She was going to accept her sentence with dignity, serve her time, and then get out.

When the judge entered the room, everyone stood. He went up to take his seat, and everyone sat. The judge, whose name was Allen, seemed eager to get through this case. “Never expected to see you in my court, Lady Christine... But here we are. I believe the prosecutor has prepared their statement.”

The prosecutor, a sharp-tongued woman by the name of Iris, stood. She looked down at her notes, and said, “The defendant, Christine the Vicious, has been accused of treason and conspiracy to murder, coordinating no less than fifteen assassination attempts against our sovereign lord of the Underworld, Marcus, known to his peers as Marco.” She looked over at the jury, and back to Allen. “Our evidence includes testimony from those she has hired, as well as correspondence given to us by the same. Many of them are present here today and have agreed to testify under the condition that they be pardoned. We also have recorded footage of a knight who had carried out an attempt, accusing Christine of arranging it while under the influence of truth serum. We are here to prove Christine's guilt and ensure she receives the proper punishment. Thus concludes my statement.” She sat down, back straight and eyes challenging.

“Very well,” Allen replied. He looked at the other table. “Does the defense have anything to say?”

The lawyer started to speak, but Christine just snapped, “Nothing. Let's get on with this.”

Allen frowned, then sighed. “Alright then. How do you plead?”

This time, the lawyer answered, “Not guilty.” Christine rolled her eyes.

“Then the prosecution may call forward her first witness.”

Iris got up again and called out, “May I have our resigned king, Judas, come to the stand?”

The man stood, to whispers from the crowd, and came forward. He swore to tell the truth, and climbed clumsily into the witness box, which was almost too small for him. But finally he got settled in, and Iris stepped up to him.

“You're going to make the poor man testify against his own wife?” Christine's lawyer demanded.

Allen tapped on his podium. “Settle down. He has already agreed to do this.”

“Please introduce yourself,” Iris said.

Judas snorted, but understood it was just part of the procedure, and said, “I'm Judas, known to some as Judas the Feared.”

“Thank you. Now, could you tell us about what you heard on the day of 13 May, when King Thomas first accused Christine of this crime?”

“Ah, yes.” Judas nodded. “The wife and I were working while Tom and Marco were out attending a parade in DeVille Point. An annual celebration for the founding of the city, as we know. Well, Tom came back early and began yelling at Christine, accusing her of being behind the assassination attempts, saying he had gotten a confession out of a swordsman named Gallant, who I believe is also gonna be on trial soon?”

“Yes Judas, but please stay on topic,” Iris said.

“Right. Well, this Sir Gallant had said, while under the influence of truth serum, that he was hired to kill Marco by Christine. Now Tom was livid at this point and I was having to hold him back. Then Marco himself showed up and confirmed this. He asked her if it was really her, and she said yes. She admitted to all of it, saying that she didn't see him as a worthy ruler. Tom called in the guards, she was taken away, and that was that.”

Iris paused as she allowed everyone to absorb that information, then said, “Did you check that they truly had used truth serum?”

“Honestly, no. Because Christine herself had confessed. There was no more to it.”

Iris turned to Allen. “If I may approach you, I would like to show you the serum used and an analysis that was recently done on it.”

“You may.”

She stepped up to his podium and presented him a bottle and a sheet of paper. He examined them, and then nodded.

“Everything appears to be in order. Let the record reflect that the truth serum was verified as real. Continue, Ms. Iris.”

She went back to Judas. “Did the defendant say anything to you previously that would hint at her involvement in this matter?”

“Nothing at all, she kept it all very quiet. I'm assuming she burned any correspondence she got from the assassins, but she's always done that with her personal letters.”

“Thank you, Judas. You may go.”

He extracted himself from the seat, with the faint sound of crunching wood, and hurried back to his seat.

Iris called for Gallant. Though he was awaiting his own trial, he was still allowed to testify here. Anything he said would not be allowed to be used against him later, but he was still reserved as he walked up, flanked by a palace guard. Once seated, Iris walked up to him and had him introduce himself. Then the questions began. “You were the last to attempt to assassinate Marco, were you not?”

“Yes ma'am, I was.”

“Tell us how you were contacted to do this.”

Gallant explained how he was approached by the old queen in disguise, how he had recognized her voice immediately, but was swayed by her offer of gold and agreed to do it. He had no letters to show, as Christine didn't trust him with any. But there would be other witnesses for that.

One by one, she went through each of the attempted assassins, asking them about their involvement in the conspiracy. If they had given her letters, she presented them to both judge and jury and read them aloud. It took time, but it was necessary. Everyone in attendance was stunned by how harsh Christine was in some of them.

Finally, Marco was called to testify. He looked at Christine once he was in the box. He could tell she had no plans to defend herself, but she didn't look ashamed. She was just staring at him. He looked forward, and Iris played the video that had been recorded at the parade. There had been a cameraman near where he was sitting, mostly so the news company could speak with the duke afterward, but they had been able to turn the camera and capture the entire conflict. Plain as day, the audience and jury could see Marco make Gallant drink the serum, could hear his explanation, and saw Tom angrily teleport away. The video was cut off as Marco also left.

“Tell us about that day,” Iris said.

“Alright. So, we didn't make it any secret we were going to go to this parade. At the time, we had no idea who was behind the assassination attempts, but we had a plan to finally find out who it was. We announced the day before that we were going. Far too late to get a spot, unless of course, you have a lot of money to sponsor your way in. Monitoring the website, we saw when someone new was added. A swordsman called Gallant. We knew that was going to be who was sent to kill me. So we watched out for him. I wore armor under my clothes, so even if he stabbed me, it wouldn't hurt me. And as you saw in the video, he came up to greet us, and shook my hand... and then tried to kill me. Obviously, it didn't work. I got a hold of him and made him tell me who hired him to do it. He didn't talk, I forced him to take the truth serum. He finally answered, and told us it was Christine. After that, Tom got mad and went home to confront her. I made sure Gallant was secured by my guards, and went after him. And then, as Judas testified, I asked Christine about it myself. And she admitted to it. She wanted me dead so Tom could marry a proper royal. Tom shouted her down, and called for her arrest on the spot. She was taken away to the dungeon.” Marco sighed once done speaking, and quietly asked for a cup of water. It was brought to him, and he took a drink. He didn't see the need to mention anything about her knowing he was human. That would just further complicate everything.

“Thank you, my lord. You may leave.”

Marco climbed down, relieved, and went to sit next to Tom.

“We have it from many witnesses that Christine was behind the highly publicized assassination attempts against Lord Marco,” Iris said in conclusion. “There was a taped confession and we have letters in Christine's handwriting and bearing her seal. I rest my case.”

“Thank you very much, Iris,” Allen said. “Attorney for the defense? You may now make your case.”

There was little the lawyer could do to turn the case in his favor. But nonetheless, he tried. “Your honor, distinguished members of the jury... Not too long ago, Christine was our queen. She ruled with elegance and strength. No one could challenge the Underworld and live, she always looked out for us and had our best interests at heart. And she always spoke highly of her son. She would never harm the man her son loved, and today I will prove to you why this whole thing is just a misunderstanding. You see-”

Christine stood, interrupting, “Oh, give it up, Mark. I only agreed to let you say I wasn't guilty so we could get all the details out in the open. I want this to be a quick, sure decision. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to. We have no defense.”

The crowd murmured, and Mark said, “Ma'am, please, I do have a defense prepared.”

“Reminiscing on the good old days isn't going to help my case. My son and his husband have already been reworking the old laws. No longer are nobles allowed to eliminate their rivals. Well, that was technically already illegal, but they cracked down on it. Anyway, we all saw the video. I'm guilty. But know this.” She turned to address the audience. “I did it because I wanted to preserve the greatness of our kingdom. I felt that Marco did not have what it takes to properly rule, and planned to have him replaced with a more competent ruler. But he proved his skill and managed to survive, and even outsmarted me. He... has earned his title. And I will accept whatever punishment he wishes to give me.”

The volume increased as people discussed this, and Allen had to bang his gavel. “Order, order in the court! Now listen, Christine... you truly wish to plead guilty for yourself, before allowing your defense to speak?”

“Trust me, he didn't have much of value to say,” she replied. “Now, can we move along?”

“I...” He swallowed, then said, “This is very unusual, but I will allow it. In pleading guilty, you agree with all of the charges against you. You really should have done this sooner, but I understand that you wanted to make sure everyone knew the facts of the case. Now then...” He consulted his own notes. “Christine, you do know that by pleading guilty, you have given up any continuation of this current trial by jury?”

“Yes, your honor,” she replied in a neutral tone.

“Do you understand that you are giving up your right to cross-examine the witnesses who have already spoken against you?”

“Yes.”

“Do you understand that you are waiving your right to not self-incriminate yourself?”

Her brows furrowed in clear annoyance, but she simply answered, “Yes.”

“Did anyone force you into pleading guilty?”

“No.”

“Are you pleading guilty because you did in fact conspire to murder Lord Marcus, and hired the fifteen assassins whose names have been listed during the course of this trial to do so in your stead?”

“Yes.”

Allen nodded, considering everything that had been said, while everyone waited to hear his decision. Then he announced, “Christine, you will serve five years in prison starting today. You will be returned to the royal palace of the king and lord and will serve your time in their dungeon. Good day.” He banged the gavel down.

Everyone stood, and he made his way out of the room. The jury, clearly disappointed that they didn't get to deliberate on the case, left as well. The audience buzzed with conversation, and Tom turned to Marco.

“Why did she have to drag it out like that?” he asked. “She could have confessed in the first place.”

“Like she said, she wanted it all out in the open. But yeah, that is pretty annoying,” Marco agreed. “Do you think five years is enough?”

“Pft, should have done fifteen. But that's fine. Five years is plenty of time for her to straighten her act.” Tom watched as Christine was led away by a guard. “When she does get out, hopefully she won't try any of that again.”

“I hope not.” Marco rubbed the spot where that archer had shot him months ago. “So... that's over.”

“Yep.” Tom set his hand on Marco's back, following him out of the building. “You can now safely rule the kingdom.”

“Heh, yeah. Let's head back. We still got a lot to do today.”

Tom agreed, and they quickly ran to get into their carriage, ignoring the reporters who were waiting to get the results of the trial. Someone else would answer their questions. For now, the monarchs were more than ready to get back to the palace and get some work done. They weren't going to let this get them down.


	28. New Beginnings

With Christine's trial over, things pretty much returned to normal. Gallant’s trial was even simpler, and he was sentenced to exile and his knighthood taken away. He accepted his sentence quietly and left town as soon as he was released. Despite everything, Marco hoped he would be alright out there.

It took months, but eventually Marco was fully accepted by the public. At least, no one was being particularly vocal about hating him anymore. In fact, most of what he heard about himself was very positive, and people were even beginning to talk about the idea of royals marrying non-royals more often, just for the difference in perspective they brought. Marco and Tom both regularly had interviews with various news agencies and talk shows, and would address public concerns and talk about what they would be doing next. They welcomed input on all of it, which proved to be helpful and only boosted the Underworld's approval of them.

Crime rates went down, literacy went up, and employment increased.

Tom and Marco arranged to meet with the merpeople as they had suggested before, and the negotiations were done on a rocky shore on Earth, with the two monarchs sitting with their legs in the water, Dreyak at their side, and a group of mer leaders from various ocean kingdoms floating with their heads above the water to speak to them. The discussion had been tense at first, but Marco did most of the talking, easing their concerns and apologizing for how his predecessors have treated them. His apology was accepted, though not without stern reprimand. In the end though, they were able to settle on trade agreements, and now their species maintained a peaceful alliance. And the king and lord went on to make treaties with other races, as well as updating the few that already existed, such as the one with Mewnie. That was less of a negotiation and more of a dinner party, but the terms worked out just fine for both of them. The economy has never been better and their subjects were happy. Things were good, and the monarchs were enjoying their role.

Sometimes though, when they got busy, Marco wished things were simpler. That he and Tom were just a couple who only had to worry about themselves, with no kingdom to run, just them and a house, and a minimum of three cats. They’d go to work and then their responsibility for others would be over once they got home.

But there were benefits to being lord. If Marco had a choice, he wouldn’t change it. He knew he could do good here and he wanted to. He just occasionally thought about what could have been.

He and Tom made sure they put aside time for dates. They may be married, but that didn’t stop them from going out together, to their favorite restaurants, movies, and parks. They regularly went up to Earth, getting away from the hot Underworld and going ice skating, something that Tom was surprisingly good at. He roller skated a lot and it was pretty similar in execution. Marco learned a lot of fun jumps and tricks from him. Regardless of what they did together, they had fun.

Then Marco’s eighteenth birthday finally arrived. The intention had been to go hang out with Star and Janna, along with some other friends, at one of his favorite Mexican restaurants in his home town. But instead he and Tom got swamped with work and had to call it off last minute.

Of course they had to be busy. Why wouldn’t they be? It was only his birthday. Nothing important.

“Babe, I’m sorry,” Tom apologized from the other side of the table. He peeled a paper off his arm and sighed. “But we really gotta get through reworking this income tax, if we want to have enough for the infrastructure we have to…”

“I know,” Marco snapped. Tom’s ears drooped slightly, and Marco sighed, sitting back in his chair and rubbing his forehead. “Sorry. I’m not mad at you. I’m just… So tired. It’s like we’ve been doing stuff nonstop since waking up and… My back really hurts. And I’m just not in a good mood for some reason.”

Tom slowly set down his pencil and walked over to him. He stroked his palm along Marco’s cheek, and Marco gripped it with both hands, holding it close and nuzzling him.

Tom frowned. “You’re really warm. Even for a demon. How long has your back hurt?”

“Since this morning. I think I slept funny.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me.” Tom leaned in to kiss his forehead. “Listen, after we finish this, we can celebrate your birthday. But our duties come before our own enjoyment.”

“I know. Still sucks.” Marco let go of him, turning back to the desk. Tom resumed his seat, and they got back to work.

It was another hour before they had the finances in order, and they called in their treasurer to take their paperwork and go check it over. Odds were that it would come right back with some sort of error, but that wouldn’t be for a day, at least. Without any pressing responsibilities now, the monarchs were finally able to go to dinner. They’ve been working all day without pause except for meals. They were looking forward to relaxing before bed, and tomorrow, they planned to go out to eat with Marco's friends.

Marco began walking funny though, off-balanced, grunting with pain. Tom looked at him with concern, and Marco grabbed his arm for support.

“You sure you’re okay?” Tom asked.

“Fine,” Marco insisted. “Just sore.”

“You don’t need to hide anything. What’s it really feel like?”

Marco thought about it, then said, “It’s hard to explain. Just… It’s a dull pain straight down my back. Two lines of it, on either side of my spine. Like… something’s pressing on my back, almost. But from the inside.”

Tom realized what was happening. “Oh. I think you’re fledging.”

“Fledging? I’m gonna get wings?”

“Yeah. That’s the only thing it could be. You’re getting wings!”

They were in the dining hall now, but that didn’t stop Marco from leaping and exclaiming, “Cool, I can’t wait!”

Several demons turned to stare at them. Marco cleared his throat and made an excuse, waving dismissively. They went back to eating.

Quietly, Tom said, “Let’s hope they’re faster than mine.”

They went to sit down, digging into their meals. Marco did his best to ignore the pain by talking to Tom about random subjects and telling jokes.

But by the time the course was over, Marco couldn’t hide it anymore. He was visibly shaking, sweating profusely, swearing under his breath. The pain had grown sharp and others were noticing, whispering to each other and glancing at him often.

Marco got up, intending to just sneak off and take aspirin. Tom went with him, holding his hand. But they were only halfway to the door when splitting pain cut Marco’s spine in half lengthwise. He screamed and collapsed onto his knees, drawing everyone’s attention.

Tom got down next to him, trying to help him up, but Marco jerked back. Eyes squeezed shut, he threw his head back and kept yelling. The back of his shirt shifted, and then wings burst out of his back, swinging up and open, blood flying off them.

Marco fell silent and the spectators let out awed gasps and exclamations.

“Holy _shit_ , that hurt,” Marco said, holding his head. He felt dizzy as he climbed to his feet.

Tom got up too, staring at his wings. “Whoa.”

“I’m sorry I ever doubted how painful this is,” Marco told him. “That was awful.”

“Definitely,” Tom agreed.

“You’re staring at me. What do they look like?” Marco turned his head to look for himself.

“You look like an angel,” Tom supplied.

Marco was stunned by the soft white wings he had grown. They were feathered like a bird’s, small but elegantly shaped. Currently the feathers glistened with blood, but he could ignore that. He needed a shower anyway.

“I do,” Marco admitted, curiously closing his new wings. Then opening them again. It was surprisingly easy. The feathers slid over each other perfectly with hardly any command from him.

“My beautiful dove,” Tom murmured.

Marco’s heart skipped a beat. He stepped in close and kissed Tom. His new wings fluttered behind him.

Tom held him close, hands sliding up his back, stroking his feathers. It felt nice, and Marco sighed, leaning against him. Meanwhile, the others in the room clapped for them.

They separated, and Judas called from across the room, “Marco! You didn’t tell us it was your birthday!”

Marco chuckled, turning to look at him. In no time, the other had made his way over. “Oh, you know,” Marco said. “We got really busy. But… Yeah.”

“Well, happy birthday!” Judas clapped his hand on his shoulder, nearly knocking him over. “Your wings look stunning. Those white feathers are very unique.”

Marco spread his wings out as wide as they could go. Their span was only about four feet. Like Tom’s, they were only for display purposes, not for actually flying. They looked good, though. “I like them.”

“I’m glad, because unless you cut them off, you’re stuck with them,” Judas said.

“I’d love to stay and chat but I need to go get washed off,” Marco said, reaching back for Tom’s hand. “It’s been a long day.”

“Right. See you tomorrow, my lord.”

Marco had given up on telling him not to call him that. He just furled his wings against his back and walked out with Tom, sighing with relief at how the pain and irritation was gone.

“You really forgot that demons fledge on their eighteenth birthday?” Tom asked.

“No, but I didn’t think I would. I wasn’t born this way.”

“No, but apparently Star made you a full-blooded demon. So you’re gonna mature like us too. But hey, it’s over. You have your wings. And they’re beautiful.”

“They’ll be more beautiful once I wash the blood off.”

“I don’t know, I think the blood looks nice.”

Marco snorted, and Tom bumped his shoulder against him.

They returned to their room, Marco peeling off his bloody clothes with distaste and leaving them in a pile, planning to clean them later. Or maybe he'll get a servant to do it. He didn't usually like to make them do things like that, but they were more than happy to serve, and he hated cleaning blood himself.

Deciding to worry about it later, he went and joined Tom in the shower. The hot water was soothing against his torn back, and for a while he just rested his head against the wall and let it rain down on him, streaming down his feathers and dripping to the floor. He had an awareness of every single primary, and could move them individually. It was strange, but he was getting used to it.

“Your back's pretty fucked up,” Tom commented.

Marco rolled his eyes. “Thanks.”

“But it'll heal fast. Here, let me clean it up.” Tom picked up the body wash and poured some onto a cloth, gently cleaning the wounds. It stung, but it wasn't too bad. Marco just waited as he worked. Tom continued, “I feel like this marks a turning point, ya know? Yeah, you've been ruling alongside me just fine, but wings are a sign of maturity. You're a man now and you fit the title of lord much better. I think you'll find yourself receiving just a little more respect.”

“Hm. If you say so. I still feel like a teen though.”

Tom smiled and leaned over his shoulder, kissing his cheek. “I know. So do I.” He reached down to grip Marco's hand. “But we're doing pretty good for a couple of old teens, huh?”

“Heh. Yeah.” Marco turned his head to kiss him, and Tom leaned against his back, slowly petting his hip.

“We've been through a lot... especially you,” Tom murmured. “But your angelic wings honestly give me hope. Here's to new beginnings, my beautiful dove.”

Marco folded his wings like a bird would, nuzzling his husband lovingly. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”


End file.
